In a Perfect World
by Enixa
Summary: In a perfect world, this would have never happened. She would've loved her back; they would've been happy. Everything would have been perfect. - When the past finally catches up with them, how will it affect their present and future? Can Ritsu hold on? Can Mio change their fate yet again? - Read on to find out! AltUniv, OC, Slight OOC. [Chapter 7 is uploaded]
1. Into the darkness

Hi guys. This is my first attempt in writing a fanfic.

I actually wrote this on a whim because I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night with the title in mind. So yeah, sorry for any mistakes! Hope you guys forgive me ;)

I also hope that y'all will leave a review when you finish reading this (IF you take the time to, that is)

Let me know if I should continue this! Suggestions/comments are very welcome! 'Coz I value your opinion/s (you readers rock :D)

On to the story then.

DISCLAIMER: K-ON and its characters (in all their awesomeness) do not belong to me. Credit goes to Kakifly and KyoAni!

CHAPTER 1: Into the darkness

* * *

It was on Christmas Eve during their last year of high school when this had all began.

At the place where they had first met, fate will test them yet again.

* * *

Minutes before midnight, two people were seen walking hand-in-hand as they were on their way to a certain park near their neighborhood. Well, not exactly walking. The shorter girl was leading the way as she dragged the unwilling taller girl. Both were fully clothed to brave the intense cold that winter night (as ordered by the taller girl). When they had finally reached their destination, the taller girl spoke.

"Geez Ritsu! Why did you have to drag me all the way here? It's freezing outside." Mio said while shivering and rubbing her hands together.

"But Mio~~! You said you would hear me out… Remember?" a pouting-puppydog-eyed Ritsu replied.

"I said I would hear you out tomorrow, not tonight! Baka!"

Instead of hitting the smaller girl, Mio was able to control herself and she walked to her favorite swing set while reminiscing. A smile crept on her face as she gently touched the metal chains and thought about the good childhood memories she shared with her best friend. 'It's been more than 10 years since that day…'

Mio then asked "Hey Ritsu, do you remember that day when you first pestered me?"

"Oyy, I did not pester you! I was simply admiring your talent." Ritsu said, pouting defensively.

"Being left-handed is not a talent. It's just genetics at work." Mio deadpanned and sweatdropped.

"Ahh, whatever! I still think that you're talented and cool. The way you use your left-hand for everything. The way you write itchy lyrics. The way you're smart and always responsible. The way you become scared and cute at the same time. I could go on and on, just so you know."

Mio blushed hard, and hid her face. She tried to change the topic. "U-uhmm. W-well. S-since we're already here, I might as well listen to what you have to s-say. So, w-what is it?" She said as she sat down on a swing, and started rocking back and forth in an effort to warm herself up.

Ritsu smiled at the nostalgic sight. While going over to her best friend, she remembered all the times back in preschool when she had fun with Mio at this very playground. All of the laughing, running, teasing and crying-the precious memories that she treasures up until now. She was really grateful and lucky to have met Akiyama Mio.

"Well Mio, first of all, I'm surprised…" She said while sitting beside her friend.

Mio eyed her curiously "Why are you surprised?"

Ritsu grinned mischievously "I didn't expect that swing to hold, since you gained so much wei—"

*BAM!*

"OUCH! It hurts it hurts it hurts!" cried the one who sported a new bump on her head

"If you forcefully dragged me out here just to make fun of me, then I'll just go home and leave you here so that you can freeze to death, Tainaka Ritsu!" The Dangerous Queen announced as she got up and held a bulging vein.

At the sound of this, Ritsu got up immediately and held her friend's arm "Okay, okay! Here it goes…"

Mio turned around and looked at her

"Mio, I…"

"You?" Mio stared at the girl.

"I….." 'I can't do this!'

"Yes?" 'Seriously, Baka..'

"I… I see dead people. Look Mio, there's one behind you." Ritsu said in a serious tone.

. . . . . .

*BAM* . . *CRASH* . . *THUD*!

"RITSUUU! I'M GOING HOME!" Mio yelled while shaking violently, tears welling at the side of her eyes. While walking away, she took out her phone and started to dial her Mother's number, desperately hoping for her to be picked up near the park (their house was relatively near the park, yet she was still very scared). 'I didn't hear anything, I didn't hear anything, I didn't hear anything…' Mio chanted to herself.

'OW! That could have killed me!' Ritsu thought to herself as she hurriedly stood and chased after the retreating figure of the Dangerous Queen. Because of a splitting headache caused by the hit, she concluded that she cannot catch up with her friend. So instead, she yelled at the top of her lungs:

"Wait Miooo! I love you! I have loved you since God knows when! Don't leave, wait up!**"**

Mio froze.

. . . . . . . . .

*clank*

The sound of a cellphone hitting the hard pavement cut through the silence of the night.

. . . . . . . . .

The amber-eyed girl finally caught up with her friend. She bent down, put her hands on her knees, and tried to catch her breath.

*pant, pant* "Mio…." *pant* "Thank goodness.. Are you okay? You suddenly stopped and dropped your…" she was suddenly interrupted.

"H-hey.. R-ritsu.. What d-did you s-say?" Mio said with a shaky and cracked voice. She was still frozen in her tracks, her back facing Ritsu.

"Ah, I said you dropped…"

"N-no. Not t-that one. T-the one you y-yelled.."

Ritsu stood up straight, and held Mio's shoulders. Her resolve was firm; she had to tell it to her now. There was no backing down. This was it. All the rehearsing will pay off now.

"I said I love you, I have felt this way for a long time. I love everything about you. Your smile, your laugh, your voice, your fist of fury, everything! I'm so blessed to have you in my life! I don't know what I'll do if I ever lose you. I sure hope I don't though, because that'll suck, you know? It will suck more than a world without rice. 'Coz you know how I love rice right? But that's beside the point. Aahh, look at me, blabbering away! Say something please, anything?" Ritsu turned her head side to side as she blushed.

. . .

"Why….?" A shaky voice answered.

"Huh? Mio, what do you mean why? I love you! Do you want me to prove it to you? Do you not believe me?" Ritsu said in a pained voice.

"I… I-I can't…."

"What?" Ritsu let go of Mio's shoulders and dropped her hands to her side.

Mio bowed her head, her bangs covering her steel-grey eyes. Then she turned to face Ritsu.

"I-I'm sorry… I just can't…."

Ritsu looked at her friend, slack-jawed. Then she asked impatiently. "You can't what, Mio? What?!"

". . . . ."

". . . . ."

"I… can't answer you right n-now!" Mio said, almost inaudibly. Then, with all of her might and courage, she ran to her house, alone. The pitch black night swallowing her whole.

Ritsu wanted to run after her, but she couldn't. Her feet felt wobbly, and her head started to throb. She tried to move her body, but her muscles wouldn't allow her to. Instead, she stood there for what seemed like an eternity. She was left dumbfounded, her heart shattered into a million pieces. Her world turned upside down. Then a whisper left her lips.

"No answer, huh?"

As she stared at the direction where the one she loves disappeared to, she couldn't help but ask herself….

-Did she say it right?-

-Was the timing off?-

-Did she make a mistake when she confessed?-

Tears started to fall down her cheeks as the last question crossed her mind….

-Will she lose Mio, the one that she held dearest in her heart?-

As sadness and silence enveloped her, she was pulled back to reality when she noticed the item that Mio dropped and left.

A red scarf.

The scarf that she, the Great Ritsu-sama, patiently and lovingly knitted, and gave to Mio last Christmas as a present. All the love that she poured into making it was given back to her, at the same time and place that it was given exactly a year ago. Is it fate? Why did this happen? Did she deserve this?

'Hah. How ironic…' she bitterly said to herself while crying her eyes out.

Just then, the clock struck 12 and distant voices echoed as they shouted with joy…

"Merry Christmas!"

* * *

A few meters away, in a dark alley, a girl slowly picked up the cellphone that she had previously dropped. 'The screen cracked. Guess I have to buy a new one.' The girl said to herself.

Then she started to walk away, while thinking about the scene that she had witnessed. She never intended to stay and watch the whole thing, she was merely a passer-by. What caught her attention were the persons involved-her schoolmates.

"Poor Ritsu…" The girl whispered. Seeing the amber-eyed girl like that made her heart ache. Being able to do nothing to comfort the girl didn't exactly help her aching heart either. She couldn't help but frown.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Leave a review guys.. 'Kay? ;)


	2. Versus

*_A/N at Le bottom._*

DISCLAIMER: K-ON! And its characters do not belong to me. Credit goes to Kakifly and KyoAni!

CHAPTER 2: Versus

* * *

Bittersweet memories continue to haunt her.

How will she deal with them?

* * *

"Wow, what a wonderful morning!" A certain brunette said as she merrily skipped down the road. Indeed, it was a sunny morning. The weather in Kyoto was just right, warm yet still cool. Perfect.

"Oohh, a new shop. Let's look at the pretty cakes, Gitah!" Hirasawa Yui talked to her guitar. Yes, a guitar. Don't ask why.

Just as she was ogling at the variety of cakes on display (while thinking of her stomach's capacity), she heard a familiar voice and a galloping-like sound. As the seconds passed, the noise grew louder.

"**Coming through!.. Excuse me!.. Woah, watch out!.."** The adults around Yui groaned and chorused together "Tsk, teenagers these days."

That voice-she swore she had heard it before…. When was it? Hmm.. Elementary? No.. Junior high? No. High school?… A Classmate.. Keion-bu. Yes, keion-bu! HTT!

Yui slowly turned to where the voice was coming from. As she saw the running girl wearing a yellow headband, she suddenly stood at attention and saluted like a soldier. "Captain Ricchan, Ohaaaaa!" she gleefully shouted even though she had a serious face on.

Ritsu noticed her friend so she stopped running like a lunatic. She effortlessly mimicked the pose and said "Private Yui, Good Morning! What are you doing here?"

"I was just looking at the cakes, they look so yummy~! Ne Ricchan, wanna eat some now?" Yui's eyes began to sparkle, and she began to emit a dangerous aura of 'moe'.

"We don't have time for that, we'll be late for our first day at Uni! Now come on!" Ritsu grabbed a dazed Yui and pulled her to the direction of the bus station.

"Eh? What are you saying? It's still early, lookie there~" Yui pointed to a street clock. It read 7:05 AM. You see, Yui also thought that she was running late for her first day at Uni. But as she got to the town, she realized that she just read her bedside clock wrong. She was saved all thanks to the same street clock. Just a typical airhead Yui moment.

Ritsu stared at the clock in disbelief, then she sighed in relief. She was thankful that her friend had a moment of genius. "Hehehe. I guess you're right. Thanks!"

"So Ricchan, can we eat some cake now?" Yui + puppy dog eyes + moe = T.K.O. for Ritsu

Ritsu grinned. "Sure Private! It has been a long time since we last did this. Let's go." At that, they entered the café.

It was during their last 3rd year in high school when Ritsu and Yui last had cake and tea together. Now the two of them were 2nd year University students at Kyoto University. Yui took up General Education (she loved children and castanets) while Ritsu took up Sociology (because she's a 'people person'). On the other hand, Mio and Mugi got into Tokyo University and were currently renting an apartment near their campus. Mio took up Literature (natural born writer); Mugi took Economics (she is an heiress, ya know). Azusa was now a freshman at Osaka University and was taking up Medicine (heh, she loves taking care of others). For more than a year, the girls of the once closely-knit Houkago Tea Time had not yet gotten together. They still kept in touch but they seldom mailed each other.

-At the café-

"Uhh, Yui? Are you sure about eating all of that?" Ritsu stared at the cakes in front of her.

"Ohoho, but of course! I love cakes!" Yui then took a bite out of each of her 4 slices of cake. "Mmm, so good! By the way Ricchan, how are you? Do you still dream about 'that' night?"

Ritsu stopped eating then proceeded to look out of the window "Yeah… Actually I dreamt about it last night. Forgetting something like that is just so hard to do."

"But you and Mio-chan are okay now right? Both of you did end up together eventually." Yui had that 'all-knowing' type of smile on her face.

"Yeah we did. But somehow, it feels….. different." Ritsu frowned.

"Different? How?" Yui stole a bite from Ritsu's orange rhum cake.

"It's just that, for the past year, Mio and I…" Ritsu then caught a glimpse of the wall clock- 7:45 AM. She mentally panicked.

"GAH! We're gonna be late. Let's go, Yui!" she pulled the brunette and they headed to the bus station.

"Wait, my babies!" Yui cried, still holding on to her golden fork.

* * *

After fifteen minutes of stressful commute, running, and dragging her friend, Ritsu finally sat on her desk. She chose a seat at the middle row, near a window. The first class was Traditional Japanese Literature. She mentally groaned. 'What a fabulous way to start my day.'

20 minutes into the discussion, Ritsu yawned. She felt light headed because she had little sleep last night. As the professor continued with his lecture, her amber eyes wandered to the scenery beyond the classroom window. She recalled how her morning started.

_-This morning, at the Tainaka household-_

…_."Merry Christmas!"_

Amber ayes suddenly shot open and desperately scanned her surroundings. Ritsu was relieved as she found herself in her room and she immediately dismissed a possible UFO abduction scenario. Her body was covered in sweat and her head was throbbing like crazy, all because of the dream that she had.

"Not again. It's been a month since this started. Stupid brain."

A month ago, she began having the same dream every night. It was as If her brain was in a continuous loop, like the 'endless eight' arc from an anime that she had previously watched. The scene from a year and a half ago continued to mock her. Why now? She didn't know the answer, but she wanted to find out. Is this what you call an 'omen'?

"Since I'm up, I better mail Mio." She flipped open her phone and she started to type:

'_Ohayo my RoMio! How was your night? Did the barnacles get you? Or did the dolphins get you first? Anyway, are you free after class? I was planning to go there so that we could have dinner together! Just mail me, 'kay? Love yah~!' _she pressed send.

She yawned and checked the time on her phone. 7:40 AM. "Are you kidding me?! I'm gonna be late!".

In a flash, she finished taking a bath and was now fully clothed. She stuffed her bag with her things and ran out her house. Then she ran back in the house to get a slice of toast for the road. Once again, she rushed out of the house. "I'm going!" she yelled to no one in particular. That's how The Great Tainaka-sama rolls, yo. I mean, that's how her morning was. And you already know the rest.

. . . . . .

"Tainaka-san."

. . . . . .

"Tainaka-san!"

. . . . . .

"TAINAKA-SAN!"

A startled Ritsu quickly snapped out of her daydream and saluted the professor "Yes Yakimoto-sama, Sir!". The whole class laughed at the girl, except for the middle-aged professor. He glared at her.

"Stop your nonsense! Read out loud paragraphs 1-4 in page 10 of your book, now!"

"Sir, yes sir!" The class chuckled at the girl's antics. Little did they know that she was like that when she was jumpy. Ritsu proceeded to read the paragraphs. She was unaware that someone in her class was intently staring at her; that someone was the same person from a year and a half ago. A look of amusement was directed at the amber-eyed girl.

* * *

Four hours of hellish I-can't-believe-I-sat-through-all-of-that type of lectures came to an end, and it was finally lunchtime. Tainaka Ritsu rushed to the canteen, hoping to find a wide array of rice dishes. After going with katsudon and finally finding a place to sit down, she checked her phone. There were 3 new mails and 1 missed call.

_From Mio: 11:50 AM_

_Baka! How can you say such nonsense! I'm not scared at all. Ritsu, I'm sorry. I already have plans for later. Let's have dinner maybe next time? See you then._

'But it's been 2 months since we last met.' she commented to herself.

_From Mugi: 8:55 AM_

_ Ricchan, call me when you're free. Okay?_

'From Mugi? Well, that's weird…' At this point her lunch was half eaten.

_From Mom: 8:11 AM_

_ Ritsu, your dad and I won't be home tonight and your brother will sleepover at his friend's house. Take care of the house. We left you dinner, it's inside the fridge. Love you!_

'As usual..' she thought as she took another spoonful of food.

_Missed Call: 9:02 AM Unknown Caller xxx-xxx-xx_

"I wonder who this is…" Ritsu's thoughts were cut off when someone sat next to her. This 'someone' brought a tray full of food with her, mostly sweets, and a big orange.

"Yaho~! I'm starving. Let's eat, buchou!" The brunette began to eat her food with such 'gusto'.

Ritsu sweat dropped then smiled at Yui. 'Some things never change, huh?'

Minutes passed then one of them spoke.

"Mmm. By the way, Mugi-chan called me and asked for you. She sounded distressed. I think you should call her now, it might be urgent. Ehehe~" Yui said as she stuffed her face with food.

"Mmkay." The drummer finished her food then dialed the ojou-sama's number.

'I wonder what this is about..'. Ritsu had a bad feeling in her gut as she waited for Mugi to answer her phone. Her head started to throb.

**-Meanwhile, Somewhere in Tokyo-**

A tall, brown haired boy frantically ran down the streets, as he searched for someone. He had the body and face of a model, so he caught the attention of many girls as he passed by them.

'Where the heck is she? Ah, I see her!'

He then ran at full speed when he saw a girl with long, jet-black hair. The girl also had the figure and face that could make heads turn and look at her, either with admiration or jealousy or both.

"Akiyama-san! Wait up!" He yelled.

The girl stopped and turned to face him. She had an annoyed/pouting face on.

'Moe, definitely moe.' He told himself.

"Who told you to follow me, Tachibara-san?" she let out a sigh before eyeing him.

The boy finally caught up "Nobody told me. I just wanted to. Come on, let's go to Uni."

He then took her hand and intertwined it with his. The girl blushed, and she let him lead the way.

…_**TO BE CONTINUED.**_

_**Hi!**_

_**I managed to churn out this chapter before going to bed**_

_**Dunno why ideas hit me as I'm half asleep.**_

_**It turned out as a 'light' chapter, didn't it? *well.. sort of?***_

_**I hope this chapter helped in advancing the plot. If not, then meh. Next chappie will be better.**_

_**I will continue this story. Update schedule may vary. :)**_

_**Read. Review/ Fave/ Follow.**_

_**.coz . writing. a. fanfic. is . hard.**_

**CHSPharm: **Aw. Thanks! I wish I won't disappoint you though. I'm from the northern part. 'Bout you?

**Guest: **Thanks! Here yah go.

**Fujimoto-Chiaki-789: **Thank you! Eheh. Em not so sure about the 'great' part..

**For those who followed: **Thanks for following this story!

*PLUG* 'Demons' by Imagine Dragons. 'Tis a great song. Listen to it when y'all have spare time.


	3. Gravity

Here is my gift to you, dear reader. A chapter composed of 3000+ words. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I still don't own K-ON! or its characters. *sigh*

CHAPTER 3: GRAVITY

* * *

No matter where they are in this world,

An unknown force steadily brings them closer.

* * *

As Tachibara Hideaki and Akiyama Mio continued to walk down the street, a high-pitched female voice interrupted them.

"Okay, Cut! Nice job Mio-san and Aki-kun! Everyone, let's have an early lunch break."

Mio instinctively retracted her hand from the boy's and she bowed deeply to him.

"Thank you for the hard work."

The boy also bowed to her and answered "Thanks also, Akiyama-san." He then smiled warmly at Mio and walked in the opposite direction, towards the female director. He kissed the girl on the cheek and intertwined his hand with hers. Both of them smiled sweetly at each other, and proceeded to go to a nearby eatery.

"That makes me miss Ritsu even more." Mio said as she melted form the couple's sweetness.

She then checked her phone in the hopes of finding a message from her beloved. She wasn't disappointed, as she was now reading the mail from her girlfriend. As she saw the words 'barnacles' and 'dolphins', chills went down her spine; nonetheless, she was happy that Ritsu was still the goofy _baka_ that she loves.

'She wants to have dinner tonight. But I can't go, I still have to finish this. I better tell her.'

Being the kind person that she was, Mio was still helping Himeko - her friend – with the filming of her movie project. She initially thought that she would work behind the cameras, but unfortunately she became the lead female character in a twisted romance/thriller/horror flick. She didn't like it, but she already said yes to her friend so there was no backing down now. Strangely, she had no problems with the scary parts (all thanks to Ritsu's pranks and the training in Mugi's maid café).

As she finished mailing her girlfriend, she hadn't noticed that someone was now behind her.

"Mio-chan" a deep ominous voice made her heart race.

The black haired girl winced and froze, but still managed to recover quickly. "Mlo-mugi. Don't do t-that ever again-n." It took a tremendous amount of control for Mio to not hit her dear friend.

The blonde giggled "My my. Okay then. Mio-chan, let's have lunch together." Mio nodded in agreement. As her friend turned, Mio stared at the clothes that Mugi wore. 'Wow, it really suits her.' She noted.

They arrived shortly at a Max Burger branch. When they entered the store, they stole the attention of all the people there. The culprit: their overall get-up.

Mio wore a plain white strapless dress which fell just above her knee. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, exposing her slender neck and shoulders. She wore white flat shoes that had a hint of glitter in them. To top it off, she wore gold plated accessories that complimented her attire. Her outfit highlighted her slender figure while giving off the 'an angel is among us' vibe. Mugi, on the other hand, wore a sexy form-fitting red dress that showed off her cleavage. Her wavy blonde hair framed her face beautifully. Her hair and her dress made her sapphire blue eyes stand-out. She was also wearing black knee-high high-heeled boots. Her outfit gave off the 'you have absolutely no chance with me' vibe. Both of them looked extremely attractive, so it was not a wonder why the men in line let them cut in line to order first. (Ahh yes. The perks of being pretty.)

After they had ordered their meals and took their seats, Mugi noticed that something was evidently off with Mio.

"Mio-chan, you look pale. Are you not feeling well?" Mugi had a concerned look on her face, evidenced by her upturned eyebrows. She guessed that Mio became uncomfortable with all the attention that she received. Her shy friend did get 6 phone numbers from random guys.

"I'm okay, just a little tired." She lied. "Mugi, do you think that Ritsu's mad at me?"

"I think that she's not mad at you. She could never be mad at you." The blonde gave a reassuring smile.

"Well…" Mio trailed off. ".. I have been holding back when it comes to her."

Mugi continued to smile at her friend, then a trail of blood left her nostril. "Holding back?" she asked with a sensual tone.

"Y-your nose is b-b-bleeding! And I didn't mean it t-that way, geez." She whispered the second part.

The ojou-sama rolled a piece of tissue and plugged her nose with it. "Then what exactly do you mean by 'holding back'?"

"Since we started dating, I've been unsure of my feelings for her. She noticed this and we already talked about it, but I didn't tell her the reason why I was uncomfortable. So she told me that she'll take it slow, and that she'll do her very best to make me warm up to her. She's been very considerate."

"But, do you still love her?"

A beet-red Mio almost shouted "O-of course I do! I have loved her ever since we were little kids. I'm just unsure because I'm afraid that she'll find out about the 'thing' that happened."

Her friend sighed and said "She won't find out as long as we remain vigilant and careful. Remember that I'm here to help you. So stop worrying Mio-chan. Mmkay?"

"Okay, if you say so. Thank you for everything, Mugi." Mio finally flashed a genuine smile at her friend. A huge weight was lifted from her chest, and she decided to ignore the nagging feeling in her subconscious.

The two girls continued chatting away while having their lunch. Throughout their short meal, they received 4 phone numbers (each), 2 complimentary ice cream shakes, and a charcoal sketch of the teo of them enjoying lunch. Mio got creeped out by the last bit, so Mugi decided to break the tension.

"I've been meaning to ask you this. What's with Tachibara-san? He's been acting awfully nice to you."

Mio frantically waved her hands in an effort to dismiss the topic. "What's with that? He's just a really nice guy, and he's already with Himeko-san. Plus, I would never cheat on Ritsu. I love her too much."

"Hihi. I was only asking, M-I-O~" a grin graced the features of the heiress, something very uncharacteristic of her. Right then, Mugi's phone rang. She looked at the caller ID before answering it.

"Hello? Ah yes. Sure! She's right here. Could you hold for a bit? Thank you."

She gave her phone to the bassist who was in the middle of eating her fries.

"Mio-chan, someone urgently needs to talk to you."

A surprised Mio took the phone reluctantly, carefully speaking into the phone mic.

"H-hello? May I know who this is?" No one answered, so she decided to repeat herself.

"Hello? Who is th-"

"_Mio! Is that really you?"_ the black haired girl moved the phone away from her ear as the person on the other line talked in a loud voice. A loud, familiar voice.

"Ritsu! But why?-"

"_Mugi mailed me to call her as soon as possible, so I did. I even got nervous for nothing. Seriously, that girl!"_ Ritsu sighed, then continued to speak _"Anyway, how are you my Dangerous Queen? Any new victims yet? Hehe. I miss you."_

Mio was blushing now. Mugi quietly stood and went to the restroom. She winked at Mio-that was her way to signal her friend to keep talking to her beloved. Mio mouthed a 'Thank you' before she answered Ritsu.

"I'm okay. How about you, baka? And please, don't say such e-embarrassing things!"

"_But I really do miss you. Don't you miss me? I've been really lonely here. *So hurtful, Ricchan!*"_

The bassist was sure that she heard Yui complain. "I-I miss you too. Was that Yui? It seems to me that you aren't lonely at all."

"_Y-you know what I mean with what I said, Mio-chuan! Uhmm. I have to hang-up soon, break is almost over."_

A sad Mio replied "Okay. I'll see you next time then? Take care. By the way, I'm sorry for what happened earlier." It took a few seconds for Ritsu to respond.

"_It's okay, I understand. I'll just mail you later. Bye, I love you!"_

A beeping sound was heard; the drummer had already hung-up on her.

"Yeah. I love you too.. so much." Mio gently whispered

When Mugi got back, they headed back to the set of the film. After shooting the remaining scenes, the two of them headed to University to attend their afternoon lectures. They were in such a hurry that they forgot to change out of their outfits. That afternoon, their fan clubs were born.

* * *

A week passed since classes at Tokyo University officially started. Akiyama Mio had gotten accustomed to her daily routine- wake up, exercise, bathe, eat, go to school, go home, do homework, sleep. Due to her intelligence and good looks, she had also become a popular student in a short period of time. Many students knew her as 'Ice Hime'- she had already shot down 20+ love confessions in just a week (a new campus heartbreak record). Just the thought of it made her head ache.

"Life would be easier if Ritsu was here."

Ritsu always protected her from unnecessary things, so being separated from her was very difficult for the shy bassist. Because of their busy schedules, the two of them had not yet set a day for their date. Sending mail, making voice calls, and the occasional video calls were the only means for them to fill the holes in their hearts. Though they kept communication lines open, something was slowly changing. Mio knew why this was happening; after all, she is the catalyst.

"Good Morning, Mio-chan! It seems to me that you like you pancakes burnt to a crisp, ne?" A jolly Mugi said as she walked inside the kitchen. She was humming the tune of the song that she composed for their band back in high school. This could only mean one of 2 things- 1.) That she acquired new 'manga'; and 2.) That she was planning something.

"I don't like them burnt-"black circles resembling hockey pucks caught her attention. She then discreetly chucked the hockey pucks-no, pancakes in the trash can.

"Never mind. I'll just have cereal. Would you like some, Mugi?" The blonde nodded. Mio reached for her favorite fruit-flavored cereal. She also took out 2 bowls, 2 spoons, and a liter of low fat milk (don't ask why).

After finishing their breakfast, they left for school. Commuting to the University was a hassle due to the number of people in Tokyo. Luckily Mio's father provided them with a private limousine that would cater to all their transportation needs. As the limo drove into the campus grounds, colorful posters caught Mio's eyes.

**TOKYO UNIVERSITY**

**SEARCH FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL IDOL!**

**Think you have what it takes?**

**Sign up now!**

'Wow. I never knew they had such contests here.' Mio thought.

She and her friend got out of the limo, suddenly Mugi bowed apologetically to her friend

"Sorry Mio-chan, I'll head off now. I still have to do some research. See you later!" The heiress took off, but stopped to say one last thing "By the way, I signed you up for the contest. Hihi. Thank me later!" Mugi easily escaped from what would've been a 99-hit combo attack directed at her.

Mio dropped her books as she processed the words that came out of her friend's mouth. Contest. Idol. University. Stage. Crowd.

"WHAT?!" was all that Mio managed to let out.

The grey eyed girl was in deep thought when a white Audi S8 pulled in front of her. It was heavily tinted so no one from the outside could see what was on the inside. The window facing Mio rolled down, and she saw a woman with short, dark brown hair sitting at the back of the luxury car. The woman was in her mid-40, but her face did not show it. She wore large sunglasses as a precaution- she was careful to hide her identity from any stray paparazzi that might show up.

"Mio-chan. We need to talk." Her voice was calming yet you can sense that there was coldness in her tone.

"Yes of course, Tainaka-san." Mio was fazed because she did not expect to see Ritsu's mother anytime sooner. Thankfully, she managed to maintain a calm exterior. It would be very embarrassing for her to talk to her girlfriend's mother with a stutter in her words.

The window rolled up, and the driver got out of the car to open the backseat door for Mio. He also picked up the books that were scattered on the ground. Inside, Mio sat at the opposite end from where Mrs. Tainaka sat.

"So, how are things going between you and my beloved daughter?" The woman took off her silly oversized sunglasses, revealing piercing light brown eyes with a shade of orange.

"Things are going smoothly, Tainaka-san."

"Okay. That's good. I do not wish to regret the gamble that I made 10 years ago when I chose you, Mio-chan."

Mio swallowed hard. Indeed, the Matriarch of the Tainaka Family was very intimidating. That was to be expected because this was the business side of the infamous tycoon of the oil industry in Japan.

"I would advise you to tread carefully, my dear. We do not want any unwanted problems to ensue. I also trust that you would not wish to lose my daughter. Have I made myself clear?" Light brown eyes stared authoritatively at Mio's stormy grey orbs.

"Yes Ma'am. I will do everything to maintain the current situation. I do not want to lose Ritsu." Mio replied coolly, with a dead-serious tone in her voice.

Mrs. Tainaka smirked slightly. "Good. Well, I only came here to check on you and make sure that everything is fine. Thank you for your time. You may now leave, Akiyama-san." The older woman bowed her head to show her gratitude.

The driver escorted Mio out of the car and gave her the books that he picked up. Mio was now standing on solid ground, and she also bowed to the woman "Thank You, Tainaka-san."

The car was ready to leave. At the last second, the back window rolled down one last time. Mrs. Tainaka had something that she had forgotten to say to the girl.

"Oh, and dear, I wish you all the best. Good Luck." With that, the car sped off, this left Mio staring at dust clouds made by the vehicle.

'Good luck? For what?'

Two male students walked towards Mio. The taller one shouted "Yo, Akiyama-san! Hurry up or you'll be late for first period." The bassist took a deep breath and steadied herself. She then turned around to face the boys who were now just 5 feet away.

"Ok Tachibara-san. Thank you."

As the three of them walked to their building Tachibara introduced his friend. "Akiyama Mio, meet my best bud Okada Kentaro. Best bud, meet our Uni's Ice Hime!"

Mio disregarded the last part. "Hi Okada-san, nice to meet you." She smiled at the black-haired boy.

"Nice to meet you too, Akiyama-san." The boy beamed at Mio, a light blush was on his cheeks.

The first bell rang; this made the three students run to their lecture room.

* * *

**-4 DAYS LATER, AT KYOTO UNI-**

2PM. With an hour left before Ritsu's classes finally come to a close, she got a mail from Yui. The brunette reminded her of band practice at 4PM. The band being referred to is "Hibiki", one of the few all-girl bands in their university. During their first day, Yui accidentally stumbled upon a recruitment flier of the band. They were looking for new members because most of their members graduated last semester. This development excited Yui to no end so she told Ritsu about it. At first Ritsu refused, she was very loyal to the band that she and Mio co-founded. But after some pestering, crying, whining, and bribing from her friend she finally agreed - under one condition: no one else should know about this. For the audition, Yui played a complicated guitar solo that Azusa taught her, and Ritsu played a powerful drum solo inspired by Keith Moon. They both got accepted, so for the past few days they were attending band practice after their classes.

Their professor did not show up, Ritsu got dismissed earlier than what she had hoped for. She decided to go to the rooftop and take a well-deserved nap. Once she fell asleep, she had 2 unusual dreams.

_-1__st__ DREAM-_

A 5 year old Ritsu was dragging a small auburn-haired girl, who was roughly around her age. They were running from stray dogs that chased them out of nowhere. They were running for about 10 minutes when they reached a beautiful park. It was decided that they will hide here for the meantime. The children hid inside an igloo-like structure. Some time passed before the auburn haired girl spoke.

"Ricchan, let's make this park our special place from now on. Ok?"

The hazel-haired girl grinned widely while nodding in agreement.

. . . . . . . . .

_-2__nd__ DREAM-_

Now, an almost 7 year old version of her was wildly running around the same park. She was playing 'tag' with the same auburn haired girl who was now sporting pigtails and full bangs held back by a red headband. The young Ritsu failed to notice a rock that was up ahead. She accidentally tripped on said rock, which caused her to land quite hard on her right knee. The auburn haired girl rushed to the side of her friend who was now sitting down and wincing in pain.

"Ricchan! I told you to slow down. Your knee is bleeding. Let me put this on it." The girl placed a yellow Band-Aid on the bruised knee.

"Thanks! Ehehe. I made you quite worried, didn't I?" Little Ritsu scratched her cheek

"Yes, you did. You should wear this from now on, so that your bangs won't get in the way." A red hairband was shoved in Ritsu's face. The amber eyed girl wore it reluctantly.

"There, much better. It suits you! Now c'mon, let's go home." The girl with the pigtails smiled at her friend as she helped her up. She also assisted her in walking.

Different shades of red and yellow danced around the skyline as the sun set. This was the perfect backdrop for the two friends, who, like the colors of the sunset, perfectly complemented each other.

. . . . . . . .

"..Ricchan!"

Yui was violently shaking Ritsu. They were now late for band practice- it was already 4:30 in the afternoon. Eyelids slowly opened, revealing brilliant amber eyes.

"Mmm.. Yui..?" The drummer mumbled incoherently.

"Captain, we have to go!" It was now the brunette's turn to drag her friend.

Both of them panted heavily as they reached the designated practice room. As they opened the door, they bowed multiple times and they asked for forgiveness for their tardiness. Yuuki, the band leader, told them that it was okay. She also told them not to be so uptight. The two girls laughed nervously, and bowed again.

"I almost forgot, we have a new vocalist. She just came in today." Yuuki then signaled for the girl to introduce herself.

She was tall and fair skinned. Her expressive eyes were a beautiful shade of garnet. Her auburn hair was done in big, voluminous curls with her bangs parted to her right.

'She looks familiar..' Yui and Ritsu thought of the same thing.

"Hello, my name is Yushouka Eri. Nice to meet you." The girl smiled at them, exposing her blinding pearly white teeth.

Determined garnet eyes met curious amber ones.

'_We finally meet again.'_

_**TO BE CONTINUED.**_

**. . . . . . .**

**-RITSU'S E****ARLIER PHONE CONVERSATION WITH MUGI-**

'I wonder what this is about..'. Ritsu had a bad feeling in her gut as she waited for Mugi to answer her phone. Her head started to throb.

After 3 rings, the blonde girl finally picked up.

'_Hello?'_

"Hey Mugi, why'd you t-"

'_Ah yes. Sure!'_

"What? I didn't even-"

'_She's right here.'_

"Who's ri-"

'_Could you hold for a bit? Thank you.'_

'I am so gonna..' Ritsu's train of thought got derailed when she heard the voice that she was longing to hear.

'_H-hello? May I know who this is?'_

'No way.. Mugi, you couldn't have possibly..' Ritsu suddenly grinned wildly, catching Yui's attention.

'_Hello? Who is th-'_

"Mio! Is that really you?" amber eyes suddenly beamed with excitement and joy.

'Thanks, Mugi.' The drummer silently thanked her good friend.

**. . . . . . . . . Mugi's a genius o_o . . . . . . . . .**

_**Y'all are probably guessing what the whole picture is..**_

_**Well I do have a general idea in mind**_

_**And I have been dropping hints around (since chap 1)**_

_**Continue guessing.. 'Kay? :)**_

_**BTW. I might throw in some plot twists along the way.**_

_**I'm a very random person.**_

_**Next chap will contain MiTsu fluff!**_

_**(You have been warned.)**_

_**Gots to go.**_

_**Momma needs some rest.**_

_**(currently sick)**_

_**Adieu.**_


	4. Finally

**DISCLAIMER: **K-ON! and its characters do not belong to me. The places mentioned here are real and were used as a setting; things that I have mentioned about said places may be incorrect. The song that I used doesn't belong to me either.

**CHAPTER 4**

**FINALLY**

* * *

Patience is a virtue.

But time is gold.

* * *

April 26th. Friday. Mio came home at 11PM. It was only the 3rd week of classes yet she had so much on her plate – studies, club activities, and the upcoming school festival. Oh and not to mention next week was Golden Week, her family will be very busy. The Akiyamas owned a number of hotels in Japan, so next week all their hotels will be at full capacity. Running the hotels will be extra demanding due to this.

"My head hurts. I need some R&R." Mio said as she lay down on her bed. Within 3 minutes she was fast asleep.

It was 7:30AM on April 27th, a Saturday, when the beautiful maiden was lulled out of her sleep by the smell of food.

Pancakes.

Brewed Coffee.

Scrambled Eggs.

*GRUMBLE GRUMBLE*. Her stomach woke her up; she just noticed how hungry she was. Mio slowly got out of bed and followed the heavenly aroma which lead her to the kitchen. Their kitchen was fully fitted with the newest cooking equipment available in the market (c/o Mugi's Father), yet they were seldom used because the girls rarely cooked their meals due to a past 'incident'.

The girl was now sitting down on a high stool near the marble countertop. A familiar figure was standing over the stove; a drowsy Mio greeted the person.

"Mmm. Good Morning." Mio was rubbing her still heavy eyelids and then she yawned.

"Well, Good Morning sleepy head!" The cook chuckled.

"What do we have for breakfast, Ritsu?.." The girl in pajamas trailed off as she realized who was cooking for her.

"Ritsu?! How did you- When- Why?" she almost fell from her seat.

"Miochuan~! That's not how you greet a guest, especially if that 'really hot and good looking' guest is acting as your manservant. So rude." Ritsu pouted playfully as she plated the newly cooked food item- Bacon with greens.

"What guest? You're more like a burglar! How did you get in here?" Mio and Mugi's apartment had a top-of-the-line security system, to avoid theft and creepy stalking incidents. Only the two of them knew how to bypass the system.

Ritsu went over to where her girlfriend was, and she sat next to the girl. "I teleported underneath your bed, just like how the boogeyman does it."

*BAM!* There goes the first hit of the day.

"OW! Kidding! Mugi let me in earlier, before she went out. I had nothing better to do, so I decided to cook breakfast while waiting for you. Speaking of which, I brought your favorite strawberry-flavored low fat milk. Want some?"

"I would love some! Wait, why exactly are you here?" Mio arched an eyebrow.

"Haha, so stingy! Do I need a reason to visit the one that I love?"

". . . " Mio couldn't answer

"Now eat up, or the food's going to get cold." Ritsu smiled lovingly at Mio, warm amber eyes met cool grey ones. The amber eyed stood up, and kissed the other girl on the forehead. She walked to the refrigerator to get the milk, but she came to a halt when a hand grabbed her shirt. Ritsu turned to face Mio, and as soon as she did, something warm and pleasant met her lips. The kiss lasted for only a couple of seconds, then she felt Mio's lips leave hers. Slender arms enveloped the drummer, and the bassist snuggled her head on the nook of the other's neck.

"I missed you so much. Thank you for this.. I love you." Mio mumbled in the most sincere and loving voice that she could muster.

Ritsu's heart melted, "You're welcome. And I love you." she hugged Mio back. She noticed that Mio was definitely skinnier now; this alarmed the drummer. 'What has Mio been up to? Is she not taking care of herself?' Ritsu should have a serious talk with her later, but for now there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Mio, you should eat now. We have somewhere to go to later so it's important for you to fuel up!" Ritsu broke off the hug and forced the other girl to sit down.

"Where are we going?" the bassist was now eating toast with marmalade on it.

"It's a surprise! We're gonna have so much fun today. As soon as you finish eating, take a bath and wear your most comfortable clothes, 'kay?" Ritsu's face lit up as if it were her birthday.

"Okay. How about you?" Half-eaten toast was pointed towards Ritsu.

"Good. I already ate. I'll just wait for you downstairs. You have 30 minutes!" Ritsu kissed Mio on the cheek before she walked to the door.

"Ritsu!"

"Hmm?" the girl turned around.

"See you later, Tiger." Mio seductively winked at her and blew her a kiss. Ritsu turned red and ran out the door.

'She sure is taking her time'. The drummer impatiently looked at her watch – it was already 8:25 AM. She yawned as she leaned against her silver BMW M6. The 6 hour long drive form Kyoto to Tokyo took a lot out of her. As much as possible, Ritsu would always use public transportation for commuting because she didn't want to flaunt her family's wealth. Plus, she didn't want to trouble her parent's people. But today was a special day, so she made an exception. Only the best was good enough for her date with Mio. The week long preparation that she made for this day will finally pay off.

"I'm sorry I took so long."

"It's okay, my love~" Ritsu's eyes stared intently on her girlfriend's figure. Mio was wearing a loose blue denim blouse, both sleeves folded up to the middle of her forearm. The first four buttons were undone, revealing a white tank top underneath. The blouse reached just below Mio's waist, giving attention to the white short-shorts that she wore. Her legs were lengthy and flawless, like that of a model's. White and red high-cut Supra kicks adorned her feet. Long wavy black hair cascaded down both sides of her face. White-framed wayfarer shades, bangles on her left hand, and a skinny watch on her right hand completed the look. Mio had the sexy-laidback feel to her, which Ritsu loved. Her self-control was slowly slipping away.

"You're drooling." Mio had a playful grin on.

"U-uh.. That really.. suits you. You look.. amazing." Ritsu wiped her drool, and she struggled to find the words to compliment her girlfriend.

"Thanks sweetie! I did wear this to match you look, you know." Mio winked at the drooling girl.

The drummer then looked at her clothes then at Mio's clothes. She was right! The drummer wore a blue checkered button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. White cargo shorts went along with her shirt. She also had on her favorite pair of red and white Converse Jack Purcell sneakers, and RayBan aviator shades. Her short hazel hair was flared at the ends, the usual yellow headband was nowhere to be found so her bangs were covering her forehead. Any other person can easily mistake her for a boy with her current outfit, but she didn't mind because she liked wearing comfortable men's clothes during her days off. The look also helped conceal her identity as the Tainaka's daughter – the media people barely recognize her when she cross dresses. It gave her more freedom, and it made her look a hundred times hotter.

"We sure are one hell of a hot couple, don't you think?" Another huge smile blinded Mio. The black haired one just nodded, a shade of red flooded her cheeks.

"Let's get going, milady." Ritsu opened the door for Mio, who got in at once. Once Ritsu occupied the driver's seat, they drove off.

* * *

It was now 9'oclock in the morning. After a 30 minute drive from Mio's apartment, they finally reached their first destination. Mio slept peacefully thru the entire drive.

"We're here!" The hazel haired girl exclaimed as she got out of the car and stretched her limbs.

"Wow." Mio stood in awe. Tokyo Disneyland, the place of her childhood fantasies. The place where there are princesses, fairies, knights in shining armor, fairy godmothers, and talking animals - all the things that fueled her imagination. For most of her childhood she dreamed of going here, but her parents never had the time to take her to this place.

"Ritsu. Why here?" Mio asked as they walked past the entrance, straight to the rides. The staff seemed to know Ritsu, as they acknowledged her by bowing. The two of them didn't seem to have tickets, which Mio thought was weird. 'How can you enter a theme park without buying or showing the tickets first?'

Ritsu was watching Mio, she noticed the concerned look on her face. She smiled and took the other girl's hand "Don't worry about the tickets, I already made reservations for the two of us. This is our first stop for our date! We have to hurry though, we only have 3 hours to enjoy the rides."

"Only 3 hours? And what do you mean first stop?" This perplexed Mio; Ritsu was never the one to plan things, she was always the compulsive one.

"I'M-NOT-TELLING~" The drummer grinned. She definitely had the bassist stumped. And then she pulled the black haired girl to the first area, their fun begins now.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Two and a half hours had passed, and yet they only managed to go to 3 out of the 7 areas of Disneyland.

They went first went to Critter Country – Ritsu picked this because she thought there were huge cockroaches and the like in 'critter' country. It turned out that the critters being referred to were cute and fluffy wild animals. Ritsu got disappointed, Mio felt relieved. There were 2 rides in the area and a handful of small shops. The couple decided to try 'Splash Mountain'. Mio enjoyed the ride more because Ritsu's motion sickness got the best of her.

Next area was Westernland, which Mio chose. It was an old western-themed land filled with cowboys, saloons, gold mines, and the like. A lot of pictures were taken here because Mio wanted to document it for future 'reference'. The couple went on all the nine rides there, among their favorites were Big Thunder Mountain (Ritsu's) and Mark Twain Riverboat (Mio's). The grey eyed girl got hungry, so they decided to take a snack break.

After the quick snack, they went to Tomorrowland. Ritsu thoroughly enjoyed this area because of the 'futuristic' feel of the place. Oh, and she got to scare Mio with the help of the alien mascots (always a good time). They went on all the 8 rides there which they all enjoyed.

Because Mio got mad (due to the alien prank), Ritsu let her choose the last area for the remaining time that they had. She automatically chose Fantasyland.

"Are you sure you want to go there?" Ritsu asked her.

"Yes." She actually picked it because it was the first area that caught her attention when they arrived at the park, mostly because of its fairytale like ambiance. Mio always had a deep love for cheesy-girly things. And the area looked harmless enough, Ritsu won't be able to pull any alien abduction prank here.

"Okay then. Hmm. Let's go there!" Ritsu pointed at a ride named 'Haunted Mansion'.

'You have got to be kidding me.' Mio face palmed herself mentally. She was about to decline but the amber eyed girl already had her in a death grip as she dragged her to the ride.

It was dark inside the mansion, Mio couldn't see a thing. Her only source of comfort was the silhouette of Ritsu.

"R-ritsu. Is it o-over yet-t?" The bassist hugged herself as the face of ghouls invaded her mind.

"Of course not, we just started. Just stay beside me so that-" Ritsu's sentence was cut off when 'something' pulled her into the dark. That 'something' had an axe sticking out of its 'head', or what was left of it that is.

"Ritsu? Where are you?" The scaredy-cat bassist frantically searched for her partner. She was shaking in fear.

"This isn't f-funny!"

"Nyyaaarrr… MmmMM… WrawWWw!" 'Something' grabbed Mio's hand.

"KYAAAA!" A blur of black hurriedly left the scene of the crime and dashed out the entrance.

Mio was catching her breath; that was the fastest 50m sprint that she had done in her entire life. She looked around, Ritsu was still nowhere in sight. Mio was sure that this was another prank. 'She should appear any second now.'

Just then, a small girl wearing a pink ballet skirt approached the black haired girl.

"Hiya Miss! Here yah go!" A white envelope was received by Mio, She opened it immediately.

'_**Hi Mio! You probably noticed by now that I'm still missing. Don't worry, I'm okay. We'll just have a little game!'**_

'What kind of game is this?' Mio sweatdropped.

'_**Throughout our date, I will randomly disappear three times and you have to find me within 20 minutes. If you fail, you'll do anything that I say. But, if you manage to find me three times and within the allotted 20 minutes, I'll be the one that'll do anything that you want!'**_

'Okayy. Typical Ritsu. I'll win this game for sure.' Mio assured herself.

'_**Sounds fun right? Let's start. Your first clue will arrive shortly. Think fast!'**_

As soon as Mio finished reading the note, she heard loud footsteps behind her. She turned to look at the source, which turned out to be two elegant white horses wearing matching royal themed clothes. They were pulling a beautiful carriage behind them. There was a man who was driving the horse-drawn carriage.

"No way." Mio couldn't believe what she was seeing. The horses stopped in front of her and the door of the carriage opened. Inside, she found the most intricately designed ball gown that she had ever seen. There were also jewelry, long gloves, and shoes that matched the gown. A card was sitting on top of the dress. It read:

'_**Come to me, my Princess.'**_

The clue turned the gears off Mio's mind, and something clicked. She whispered something to the man's ear, got inside the carriage and closed the door. She quickly put on the outfit as the horses began to strut away.

Fifteen minutes had passed since Mio reached her destination – Cinderella's Castle, the flagship structure of Tokyo Disneyland. It took a while for her to change into the ball gown.

"I hope my hunch was right." Mio fixed her dress and her hair (now tied in a neat bun) before letting out a deep breath as she reached for the large doors. The entryway was closed, she had to push the doors open to see what was in store for her.

*CREEK*

Slowly but surely, the doors parted. Once again, Mio stood in awe as she saw what was inside. The expansive foyer was lit beautifully by a large diamond chandelier and some crystal encased torches. Hundreds of people were dressed in formal attire, the kind of clothes worn by fairytale characters. The people were dancing by pairs, a Grand Ball was being held at Cinderella's Castle in broad daylight. All of them seemed happy; it truly looked like a scene out of a child's story book.

'Just like in my imagination. This is so romantic.' Mio stepped forward, the people stopped dancing and made a pathway for her to follow. It lead to the bottom of a huge staircase, her gaze immediately spotted Ritsu. She was standing on the top part of the staircase. The drummer looked irresistible in the Prince outfit that she wore; she definitely looked like she was from a fairytale. Mio _almost_ swooned and drooled over her Prince. Ritsu walked down the stairs, meeting Mio halfway through the crowd. She then asked for the Princess' hand, which the latter eagerly gave.

Ritsu now held the other girl's right hand and then she pulled her close, their faces were in close proximity with each other.

"You found me, my Princess."

"Nothing can stop me from finding my way back to you, my Prince." Mio said as she pressed her body against Ritsu's, putting her left hand on top of the drummer's right shoulder.

The gap between their faces was slowly disappearing. With only a few millimeters to go, Ritsu leaned back and used her left hand to twirl Mio around. Mio was caught off guard because she was expecting something else.

"May I have this dance?" The hazel haired Prince curtsied while still holding Mio's right hand.

Mio felt cheated, yet she still accepted.

Ritsu led Mio to the center of the foyer, and they danced the waltz. The couples around them also began dancing the waltz.

"I never knew that you could dance." Mio teased Ritsu

A light-hearted laugh escaped the latter's mouth as she answered "I never could dance. I learned how to last week. For you, for this moment." Ritsu kissed Mio's cheek.

Suddenly, the clock struck 12 (noon, that is.)

"My Princess, we have to go." Prince Ritsu said as she led Mio to the backdoor exit. A black stretch limo was waiting for them near the exit. The two went inside of the vehicle, and the driver started to take off.

"Mio, take off your clothes."

"WHA-? But we are in a limo! Can't you wait until we get home-" Dirty, perverted thoughts raced across Mio's mind as she blushed hard. 'It has been a while.' She said to herself. A shirt and short shorts hit her face; this jolted her out of her daydream.

"Wear that, okay? We're having lunch at a friend's place." Ritsu was now struggling to put on skinny jeans.

'Oh.. So that's what she meant.' The black haired beauty sighed as she undressed.

* * *

The travel time from Tokyo Disneyland to Aoyama, Minato-ku was 40 minutes. Within those 40 minutes, the two girls successfully had a new change of clothes (those costumes were pretty hard to get out of). They spent the remaining minutes of the commute chatting about their respective school lives, and any other topic that they could think of.

The limo stopped in front of a tall office building located near the center of Aoyama. Ritsu held Mio's hand as they walked inside the building.

"There's a restaurant here?" Mio inquired. The building did seem like corporate headquarters for some big firm.

Ritsu just smiled at the girl "You'll see."

They boarded an elevator. When they reached the top floor, truly enough there was a resto café named 'A-Z Café'. Its interior was a mixture of sleek modern-western designs, traditional Japanese elements, and some eye popping street art. It was unique and interesting. Mio could see why Ritsu chose this place; her partner did have a weird taste in architectural designs.

A waiter greeted them warmly and escorted them to the rooftop bar. The view there overlooked downtown Aoyama, and its neighboring districts.

"The view here is gorgeous." Mio snapped a few pictures.

"I'm glad you like it! That's why I rented out the whole place just for us."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to have you all to myself…" Ritsu cutely pouted as she reached for Mio's hand

"..This is the first time in three months that we've seen each other. Can't I be selfish just for once?"

Mio melted under the cute pout and upturned eyebrows of her girlfriend. Ritsu looked like a lost puppy asking for permission to come home and live with you.

'Too much.. So adorable…' Mio gazed into amber orbs. "Yes… You have every right to be…" She didn't feel like breaking the little puppy's fragile heart.

"Excellent! Oh, here comes our meal. I'm starving!"

Ritsu attacked the poor plate of food, showing no mercy as she chewed the big chunk of meat from her steak. Mio stared 'Wow. She's even worse than Yui.'

Both of them continued to chat about their school life throughout lunch.

"Speaking of school festivals, isn't Todai's festival during May?" Ritsu inquired as she ate her tiramisu.

"Yeah. During the 2nd week.. And.. uhmm.." The girl wasn't sure if she should tell the other girl about the idol contest.

"And? Mugi entered you in a contest. Am I right?"

"She told you?!" Mio pounded the table quite forcefully.

"No. It was my master plan after all!" The drummer flashed her signature grin and peace sign. She failed to read the atmosphere. A dark aura surrounded Mio; her eyes were glowing in a dangerous red color. Ritsu's instincts told her to run, too bad she didn't.

*PUNCH*

*THUD*

Instead of the usual knock on the head, Mio punched Ritsu in the stomach. The latter was now writhing in pain on the ground. The bassist's falcon punch was very painful, lethatl even. It was a good thing that Ritsu developed a high tolerance for her girlfriend's 'love hits'.

"You're such an idiot! You know how much I h-hate crowds!"

*cough* *cough* "I only did that.. to help you.. get over.. your fear.." The drummer was now sitting on her chair, still holding her bruised stomach.

". . . . ."

"And I wanted to show them how amazing you are.."

". . . . . ."

"I want you to shine, so that you can touch others with your warmth and brilliance. You are like the sun, everyone should get the chance to see and feel your radiant glow. I can only let them see you, but I won't let them keep you for themselves. That's because you are the one who lights up my world. You are my sun. Mio, I would be lost without you."

". . . . . . . . ."

"You still won't talk? Okay, look, I'm sorr-"

Mio's lips clashed with Ritsu's; her warmth filled the drummer's very being. Mio's lips tasted like strawberry parfait, 'I can get addicted to this' the amber eyed girl said. Their lips slowly parted, the taste of strawberry parfait lingered on both of their lips. The one who initiated the kiss had a blush on her cheeks.

"You really know how to woo a girl, you suave player you." Mio said.

Ritsu pretended to swirl an imaginary mustache. "Ohoho. Wi wi, mademoiselle."

Mio glared at her, then the two of them giggled uncontrollably. And so, their lunchdate ends.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

They left the café at around 2 in the afternoon, Ritsu now drove her BMW M6. She had one of the staff at Disneyland drive it to the café.

"Are we going home now?" Mio had a sad look on her eyes.

"Of course not, we still have some places to go to." Ritsu answered. Her eyes were still on the road. She had a serious face on.

Mio decided to have some fun. She leaned against the driver, careful to let her well-endowed assets press on Ritsu's shoulder, and she put her mouth near the other girl's ear. "_Are you sure you don't want to go home now?_" She said in a seductive voice.

Ritsu suddenly felt hot and twitchy. She was tempted to make a U-turn to turn the car around and speed off to the apartment, but she couldn't waste the preparations that she had made. After all, the grand finale that she planned was not yet reached.

"I-I am s-sure." It took all the control that Ritsu had to say those words. A little voice in her head said 'Nooooo!', but she paid no attention to it.

'1 point for me!' The black haired girl smiled and quickly retracted her body and sat properly in her seat. "Okay then, just be sure that you won't bring me to a shady place."

"I won't. It's still too early to bring you there."

"What?" Mio slapped the driver's shoulder as she jumped out of her seat.

"I'M KIDDING! Geez." Ritsu was now rounding a corner "Well, we're here."

Mio noticed a pillar with the words "Yebisu Garden Place" - in gold letters - placed on it.

The drummer finished parking her car. She found her lover taking pictures of the beautiful place. It was a small city within a city, consisting of roughly a dozen of buildings and skyscrapers. There were also a large array of restaurants and shops, office spaces, and a residential place. It was very tranquil and pleasant looking, Mio liked these kinds of places.

"Let's go?" Ritsu held out her hand, and Mio took it. They proceeded to tour the city.

They first visited a photography museum which piqued Mio's interest. The drummer thought that it would be boring, but she couldn't resist her girlfriend. The bassist looked like a kid in a candy store as she appreciated the different photographs that were displayed; her grey eyes sparkled. Next, they went shopping for various things. Mio found a shop that sold the beauty products that she and Mugi liked, so she decided to buy in bulk since these product were hard to find. Ritsu, on the other hand, mostly bought food items and plush toys. The drummer had a collection of said toys in her room's secret basement/plush toy shrine.

After all the shopping, the two of them were now strolling, hand-in-hand, at the Central Square. Colorful, vibrant lights and lush greenery decorated the garden walkway. Aside from the couple, other couples and families were also walking around while admiring the scenery.

"Ritsu, why are you doing this?" Mio rested her head on her partner's shoulder. The drummer was now taller than her.

"Remember when we were still in middle school? I told you something."

"You told me a lot of things. Like that one time that you told me you built a rice castle."

"Mio-chuan, Not that those kind of things! Didn't I tell you that I would tour Tokyo with the person dearest to me? Well, I'm doing it right now." Ritsu gave Mio's hand a light squeeze.

Mio smiled. "I was hoping you would say that." She also squeezed the hand that she was holding.

A loud boom from a nearby sound system broke their sweet moment. Apparently a famous person was here at the park for a visit, so the park's management threw a program to welcome the guest. The couple decided to watch. There was a play, a dance number, a number of games, a raffle draw, and a song number by a local band. After the band sang their last song, the emcee went up the stage to announce comething to the crowd.

"It is now time for our final performance of the day! Everybody, please welcome our special guest, Tainaka Ritsu-san!"

The crowd clapped loudly, some yelled while some whistled in approval. Mio felt the gaze of the crowd zoom-in on her. Well, not exactly directed _at_ her, but to someone who was at her back. She turned and she saw Ritsu holding an acoustic guitar and wearing a wireless headworn mic.

"This song is for you, Mio." Ritsu's voice was amplified by the speakers in the plaza. She started to strum her guitar.

..

.

_**It took**_

_**One look**_

_**And forever laid out in front of me**_

_**One smile, then I died**_

_**Only to be revived by you**_

Ritsu gave Mio a 'sticky' look. Her amber eyes glowed with love and affection.

..

.

_**There I was**_

_**Thought I had everything figured out**_

_**Goes to show just how much I know**_

'_**Bout the way life plays out**_

Ritsu walked towards Mio, her eye contact with the girl did not break.

This sent chills down Mio's spine, her knees began to buckle because of embarrassment.

A lot of people were witnessing what was supposed to be a private moment.

Luckily, someone from the crowd gave her a stool to sit on.

..

.

_**I take one step away**_

_**Then I find myself coming back**_

_**To you**_

_**My one and only**_

_**One and only you**_

_**Oohh oohh ohh..**_

During the chorus Ritsu circled Mio, and after one revolution she stopped in front of the girl.

Just as the last line was done, Ritsu stopped playing the guitar.

For the next part, a back-up guitarist was now playing the chords while she kept singing.

..

.

_**Now I know**_

_**That I know not a thing at all**_

'_**Cept the fact that I am yours**_

_**And that you are mine**_

The singer held the black haired girl's hand as she sang this part to her.

Ritsu pulled Mio up and she hooked the other's waist with her left hand, she then took and placed

Mio's right hand on top of her chest.

Ritsu's heart was pounding intensely, it showed how nervous she actually was.

The singer then kissed Mio's hand before she let go.

..

.

_**Oohh**_

_**They told me that this wouldn't be easy**_

_**And no**_

_**I'm not one to complain**_

Ritsu stepped back as she signaled the crowd.

Right then, Mio was surrounded by a sea of people, the constant pushing of the crowd disoriented her.

Her view of the hazel haired girl got obscured, she lost sight of the one singing.

As the verse ended, the crown cleared the area and formed a circle around the couple.

Mio now saw Ritsu, the latter was holding a beautiful bouquet.

..

.

_**I take one step away**_

_**Then I find myself coming back**_

_**To you**_

_**My one and only**_

_**One and only**_

_**I take one step away**_

_**Then I find myself coming back**_

_**To you**_

_**My one and only**_

_**One and only you**_

The amber eyed girl now walked to her love one. She had a smile on her face as she was singing the last

verses; Mio mirrored that smile as she felt her heart beat crazily.

When Ritsu reached her, she gave the flowers and she held Mio's free hand.

Their eyes never left each other's gaze.

After the last line was sung, Ritsu pulled Mio in to a hug and she kissed the latter's forehead.

The crowd roared and cheered, because of that Mio almost missed the words that Ritsu whispered in her ear.

"_**I love you."**_

_**.**_

* * *

After the commotion that Ritsu caused, hundreds of fans attempted to get close to one of Japan's hottest couples. Due to the influence that the Tainakas and Akiyamas had over Japan, it was not surprising that the media took a liking in Ritsu and Mio. Their fans chased them around Yebisu Garden; the couple was lucky to have escaped with the help of the security staff of the place. They were now inside the BMW M6.

"Whew, that was close! Are you alright?" Ritsu was talking to Mio, but the girl did not respond.

"Mio?" The hazel haired girl looked at the one seated beside her. She was surprised to find Mio crying.

"What's the matter? A-are you hurt?" Ritsu parked her car at the side of the road then she began to worry over the crying girl.

"I'm fine. I'm just really h-happy. Thank you, Ritsu" Mio looked at her, she was still crying but a smile was plastered on her face.

"N-no problem. Uhm. M-mio, w-wipe your n-nose." The drummer barely contained her laugh as she noticed that something was coming out of the crying girl's nose.

Mio instinctively touched her nose; this caused her nose bubble to pop. Ritsu burst out laughing, snorting even.

"S-Stupid!" Mio reached for a box of tissue to wipe away the mucus on her face.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

They reached Oshiage at 4:30 PM. Their next stop was Tokyo Solamachi, a famous shopping complex in the area. There was a huge mall, and a lot of people were there to visit Tokyo Sky Tree, the tallest tower in Japan. The couple was supposed to go to the tower, but Mio told Ritsu that she wanted to tone things down. They ended up settling for a romantic movie that was showing at the mall's cinema. The film just started when they got there.

"Hey Mio, is everything okay?" 10 minutes into the movie, Ritsu checked on the other girl who was now fast asleep. The day's activities must have taken a toll on her, plus she ate a lot of carbohydrates (eating a lot of carbs make people sleepy). The drummer took a moment to admire the beauty and cuteness of her lady love. Mio looked so vulnerable and innocent when she was asleep, something that the drummer was infatuated with. It took a lot of control for Ritsu to not pull a prank on the sleeping girl. Ritsu exhaled, then stood up and kissed Mio's forehead. She wrapped her sweater over the bassist.

"Sleep well, my princess. See you later." The amber eyed one walked out of the theater.

Two hours quickly passed by, Mio was woken up by bright lights. The movie was already over. She scrunched up her eyes as she stretched and yawned, then something hit her: She slept through the movie that she looked forward to for almost a month.

"Ritsu! Why didn't you wake me up?" The black haired girl talked to no one in particular, as Ritsu was nowhere to be found. Her grey orbs drifted to a card on top of the seat, it was similar to the one that she received earlier.

'_**Your love takes me higher.'**_

"That's it? What kind of clue is that?" Mio racked her brain in search for an answer. It was already dark and cold outside when she got out of the theater. Fortunately, Ritsu left her sweater. Her wristwatch read 6:34 PM.

As she was trying to make sense of the clue that was given to her, she noticed a crowd of people gathered around the Tokyo Solamachi Tower. She went to see what was causing this.

Hearts formed by red LED lights were blinking behind the glass windows of the tower. The blinking had a pattern; the heart would appear at the first floor then it vanished and appeared at the next floor, and so on. It gave the illusion that the heart was floating up to what seemed like the 30th floor, where it expands and explodes. The display was in a constant loop.

A girl beside Mio made a comment "Wow. It's so pretty. The heart keeps on going higher and higher.."

A light bulb went off in Mio's head, she had just figured out Ritsu's message. She rushed to the entrance of the tower, where the staff greeted her and gave her a box. 'Wear me' was written on it.

"I was right." A smile formed on her face.

It took 15 minutes for Mio to get dressed. She now wore a simple black cocktail dress with matching diamond jewelry. She had on black stilettos. Her hair was in an up do-her hair was pulled back by an intricate braid that she managed to do herself.

She reached the 31st floor where La Sora Restaurant was located. An usher accompanied her to the designated VIP table. The table was in a part of the restaurant that was secluded from the other tables.

As they got there, Mio saw a person wearing a black suit. The person was waiting for someone.

"Geez Mio. You're so slow! But it seems that you made it on time." Ritsu placed her chin on her hand as she ranted.

"You are the one who started this game, you know. And you did leave me behind at the theater." Mio tilted her head to the right as she made her point.

"It's not my fault if you fell asleep while watching the movie, _granny_." Ritsu had a coy grin on.

"Hmpf!" Both of their stomachs grumbled. They looked at each other, and then they snickered.

It was a good thing that the first course arrived after 2 minutes. As they ate their dinner, they chatted. Ritsu occasionally teased Mio, and vice versa. The couple was the only one that occupied the VIP area, so their privacy was not an issue. They began to talk about everything that was going on in their lives-their problems, the family business, and some personal things. Being given such privacy in a public area was a rare occurrence for them, so they took advantage of it. Ritsu and Mio took the chance to catch up on each other's lives, before they get separated once again. Both of them cherished every second that they spent with the other. Nothing else seemed to matter. As long as they were together, they could overcome anything that the world threw at them. 'I wish this day wouldn't end' they thought of the same thing.

Time flew by quickly, and their dinner was coming to a close. They were eating their dessert when Ritsu's phone rang. She looked at the caller ID, and she excused herself. Mio took this time to appreciate the view outside. The city's night lights shone brightly, and the cars that lined the streets looked like shooting stars. At night, Oshiage seemed so calm and peaceful- a far cry from the hectic and bustling nightlife back at Shibuya. Their table was parallel to the tall Tokyo Sky Tree, which was lit up beautifully. It illuminated the night sky with its bright lights. Mio took the chance to snap a picture of the breathtaking view. Inspiration hit her, she was now thinking of song lyrics and a plot for a novel that she was planning to right.

"Hello, why did you call?" Ritsu spoke into her phone.

"I would just like to remind you of our thing tomorrow!" Eri spoke loudly, annoyed that the hazel haired girl only picked up after 10 missed calls.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Thanks Eri!" Ritsu rubbed the back of her head; she was embarrassed that she forgot something important.

"So, how's your date going?" Eri asked, curiosity got the best of her.

"Everything is going as planned, the gods are on my side today! We're actually having dinner now."

"I see. That's good. You should get back to her. Bye!" The girl on the other line hung up.

"That girl, so unpredictable." As she was fixing her hair, she suddenly thought of something. How did Eri know that she was on a date? She didn't tell anybody except Mugi. And more importantly, how did the girl know her phone number? She didn't remember giving it to her.

'So weird.' Ritsu dismissed her thoughts as she walked to her date. The drummer didn't want to waste time, the ending was near.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The couple left the restaurant at around 9 in the evening. Ritsu decided to let the limo pick them up, she was too lazy to drive and she drank a lot of wine.

They were now seated together at the back of the limo, hands entwined with Mio's head resting on Ritsu's shoulder. Their eyes were closed. Both of them quietly enjoyed each other's warmth, they didn't want to break the peaceful atmosphere.

Ritsu spoke softly "Mio, could you promise me something?"

"Sure Ritsu." Mio whispered.

"Promise me that you'll be mine and mine alone?" The drummer snuggled closer to her love.

"That's silly.." Mio chuckled "I won't make that promise."

"Why?" The hazel haired girl opened her eyes in disbelief.

The bassist sat straight and looked at the other girl's amber eyes "I am already yours since a long time ago. I decided that I will not settle for anyone other than you. Now tell me, wouldn't it be silly to promise something that's as clear as daylight?" Mio smiled reassuringly, and rested her head on Ritsu's chest. "I love you." Mio whispered as she slowly drifted to sleep.

"I love you, sleepy head." Ritsu kissed her girlfriend's head as she held her in her arms.

. . . . . . . . . . .

_**-MIO'S DREAM-**_

"Ricchan, Ricchan! C'mon, let's play over there!"

"Okay, okay I'm coming. Slowdown will ya?"

A 6-year old Mio watched two children as they were running around the park. Those two were her classmates in preschool; Tainaka Ritsu and Yushouka Eri. Their classes ended early in the afternoon, so most of the children went straight to the park to play. As for Mio, she went to the park to wait for her parents; playing was never her favorite thing to do. She was more of a bookworm. She did have friends, but she rarely played with them. Mio was the star pupil of their class, she was a prodigy. A lot of attention was given to her, yet she was uninterested in mingling with other people. That changed when a certain amber-eyed girl transferred in her class.

Since then, little Mio became fascinated with her. She wanted to know how someone can catch the attention of others so effortlessly. She wanted to know why a person like her had so much confidence and enthusiasm. She wanted to know how she could cheer up others by just simply smiling at them. She wanted to know why the girl didn't notice her. Mio wanted to know why those amber eyes were so enchanting. She just had to know.

The black haired girl started to follow little Ritsu everywhere to get some answers. This included the park where she was currently at. As she was spying on the two girls, a blonde haired girl tapped her on the shoulder.

"Mio-chan, it's time to go home."

"Uhm. Okay. Thanks Mugi-chan." Mio followed the blondie to the limo, and they both went inside.

* * *

"Akiyama-san, we're here." The driver of the limo woke Mio up and gave her a card.

"Mmm.. Thank you." The girl went out of the car, she was now standing in a plaza that surrounded the Tokyo Tower. The tower was a good 100m away from where she was. Mio took a second to adjust her eyes, the lights of the tower were too dazzling. It felt like her vision was spinning.

As she held her head, she remembered that the driver gave her a card. She read it.

'_**The strongest part of any building is its…'**_

It was at that moment when Mio noticed that Ritsu was missing, and that she now had a long coat on. This must be the last stage of the game that Ritsu devised.

"Its base." Mio answered the question as she proceeded to run to the bright tower. The drummer was surely waiting for her there. As she was running, she noticed that there were no other people in the vicinity. It spooked her a little because she was reminded of a ghost town. Regardless of such fact, she continued running.

A table covered with white linen, a lit candle, and two chairs greeted Mio when she got near the Tower's base. One chair was occupied by the hazel haired girl, who was staring at Mio's figure.

Ritsu stood up and grinned at Mio.

"Welcome, Mio. You made it just in time."

Mio broke into a walk as she caught her breath. "For what?"

Ritsu suddenly embraced the girl as she said something. "Do you know the legend about the Tokyo Tower?" The beautiful lights of the tower illuminated the two. They were the only ones at the park, Ritsu made sure of it.

"No.." Mio replied 'Another ghost story.' She readied herself for the gruesome story.

Ritsu started "Well, it is believed that as the Tower's lights are shut off.."

Mio noticed that the top most part of the tower went dark, and the lower floors followed suit.

"And a couple happens to watch it.."

The tower was now half lit.

"The couple will.."

Mio braced herself for the ending. Will the couple see ghosts? Will they die a tragic death? She hugged Ritsu tightly; her imagination got the best of her.

"Always be together, and they'll live happily ever after." Ritsu finished her story. The lights of the tower were now completely shut down; the light posts of the park were the only source of illumination.

Mio loosened her grip on Ritsu. She then looked up at the girl, tears were teetering on the edge of her eyes.

"What? No ghosts?" Mio pouted as she said the line in disbelief.

"No ghosts, just a fairytale ending." The drummer smiled, her girlfriend could be so cute at such random times. Ritsu hugged the girl and she discreetly savored Mio's fragrant smell.

"Mio."

"Yes?"

Ritsu then pulled out a small black box and opened it. A silver ring was inside. Mio gasped as she saw it.

"Happy Anniversary."

_**-TO BE CONTINUED-**_

_**This ends the looong MiTsu chapter.**_

_**I was bombarded with exams this week,**_

_**That's why I couldn't update the story.**_

_**BTW. Sorry for the typos.**_

_**The story will continue next chappie.**_

_**:)**_

_**THANK YOU FOR READING!**_

Reviews, favs, & follows are highly appreciated.


	5. Coincidence

DISCLAIMER: K-ON! and its characters do not belong to me. :)

CHAPTER 5: Coincidence

* * *

Everything will eventually fall into place.

It's just a matter of when, where, and how.

* * *

"No. This isn't happening." A certain twin-tailed girl tried to calm herself down.

She had just witnessed something she shouldn't have; something that was so farfetched that it couldn't be real. She stood at the sidelines, thoughts racing in her head at a hundred miles per second. What should she do? Should she call her senpais and ask for advice? No, that would be bad. This would no doubt start a fight between her beloved friends. She didn't want that to happen.

Should she keep it to herself? No, she was never good at keeping secrets. At some point, she would slip and blurt it out, then her senpais would know and a fight will start. How about forgetting it and just going home already? She can't do that; her conscience wouldn't allow her to. And she'll have a gnawing feeling at the back of her mind once she gets home. Something like this couldn't be unseen.

Why did she happen to pass by? She could've taken another route as she was going home; she could've avoided this problem and have peace of mind.

'Maybe acting like nothing happened would be the best option. Yeah, that should be it.'

She should just act like she didn't see an auburn haired girl kissing a hazel haired girl.

'Turn around Azusa, there's nothing here.' A voice in her head told her. It was already late, 10:38 in the evening to be exact. She should get going; her parents are waiting for her at home. She should listen to the voice in her head.

Azusa Nakano turned the other way, ready to head home. Disappointment graced the features of her face.

"Ritsu-senpai…"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* * *

**EARLIER THAT DAY**

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

'Nngghh..'

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

'Where the hell is that infernal beeping sound coming from..' The bed sheets shifted. An irritated hazel eyed girl was covering her ears while seeking for peace under her beddings. She didn't want to wake up just yet.

Last night, Ritsu drove Mio to her apartment and 'stuff' happened. After a good 2 hours or so of doing 'stuff', she got on the road immediately. She had plans this Sunday so she couldn't afford to sleep over at Mio's place. Hence, she lost the chance to have six hours of a good night's sleep. Once she arrived at their family's house in Kyoto at 6 in the morning, she went straight to her nice, cozy, and comfy bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

The beeping sound got louder; any attempt to block out the sound would be in vain. At this, the girl decided to wake up. Ritsu sat up on her bed straightaway and was now ready to hit the alarm clock.

"Damn it, I'm up! Now where's that stupid Pikachu?" She was now cracking her knuckles as she searched for the clock. She found something, no, _someone_ else instead.

"Not much of a morning person now, are you?" Eri Yushouka was standing over the side of the bed, a yellow Pikachu alarm clock in hand. The sassy remark earned her a glare from blood-shot amber eyes.

"Well I'm sorry; I did just get back here at 6am. What time is it anyway?" Ritsu yawned while saying the last word.

"10 AM."

"10 AM already? I'm sooo late. Eri will kill me!" The hazel haired girl rushed to her closet and searched for comfy clothes for her to wear.

"Yeah, I would _love_ to." The auburn haired girl menacingly said. The other girl froze, and slowly turned around like she was expecting to see a ghost behind her.

"Heeeyyy.. Eri-chan. I didn't see you there. Ermm. Those clothes really suit you.." A compliment, an awkward grin and a nervous laugh was all that Ritsu could do to appease the angry girl. Ritsu did mean the compliment though; the girl really did look good in her warm orange-toned dress. She also had her hair in low pigtails that made her 30% more desirable.

"You won't even ask how I got in?" Eri sat on Ritsu's bed then she crossed her long legs. She surveyed the room. It was quite spacious. The ceiling was high and the room was predominantly white in color. A large walk-in closet, a study table, an expansive bookshelf, two beanie chairs, and a queen-size bed were the only furniture in the room. A plasma TV and a number of gaming consoles lay opposite the bed. The girl's personal bathroom could accommodate a basketball team. Surprisingly, the room was clutter-free.

"Since you're here, I don't really care—"

"It all started when you weren't answering any of my calls. I was waiting at our meeting place for a good 30 minutes or so. Then I said to myself 'Hey, why not go to her place and drag her out instead?' So I called my driver and we searched for your house. It wasn't that hard to find since it is the largest house around this place, and all of the people here know your family. When I got here the front door was unlocked. I called for you but there was no answer. No one else seemed to be around so I went inside and looked for your room. Oh, by the way I brought breakfast. It's in the kitchen. We should eat before we go, I'm starving man. Seriously. Uhmm. Now where was I? Ah yes, your room!..."

"OKAY. I GET IT. I'M SORRY FOR THE TROUBLE." The drummer massaged her temples; this girl's mouth was giving her a bad headache. She knew that Eri was talkative, but boy oh boy, she never imagined her to be _this_ talkative. Even Yui was no match for the girl's machinegun mouth. 'Just kill me now, Kami-sama.' Ritsu silently pleaded.

Eri stood up from the bed and walked to Ritsu. The other girl seemed to be in bad shape. She wondered if she took her plan of irritating the girl a little bit too far. She felt guilty as the other girl was furiously massaging her head.

"I can get you medicine for your headache. We don't have to go if you're not feeling well." Ritsu was now face to face with Eri, the girl's eyes displayed a caring and compassionate look for her. Eri placed her hands on top of Ritsu's; she was helping her massage her temples. The drummer could smell the scent of chamomile that was emanating from the girl. The fragrance soothed her nerves, her headache was slowly subsiding.

"No, I'm fine. I'll get ready, and then we can go. Wait for me downstairs, okay Eri-chan?" Ritsu gave an appreciative smile to the other girl, as if saying 'Thank You' through just smiling. The hazel haired girl then winked at the other in a playful manner, trying to hide the fact that her head was killing her, and that she felt lightheaded.

'Liar.' Eri knew that the girl was putting on an act, it was obvious. She also knew that the girl didn't want to worry her, and that she was being kind and considerate. So she let it slip and she played along. "Okay Ritsu, Don't keep me waiting, 'kay!" She gave a cute wink to Ritsu before going to the living room.

Ritsu was taking a bath as she felt something coming out of her nose-blood. She was having a nosebleed. 'Not again.' She said as she was trying to stop the bleeding.

"Ritsu, hurry up! You're even slower than a snail!" Eri said as she was running ahead of Ritsu. The latter was walking at a slow pace due to her persistent headache. Ritsu was amazed at how someone could be more childish and hyper than her or Yui. 'So this is what I do to Mio, huh? What have I gotten myself into..'

**-Last Friday-**

Band practice had just ended and the girls were now on their way home. Ritsu, Yui and Eri walked together; their houses were in the same direction.

"Eri-chan, your voice is just so amazing! What was the song that you sang during practice? I really liked your cover of it!" Yui was jumping excitedly as she walked in front of Eri, facing her. She looked like a fan girl of the vocalist. "Thanks Yui-chan, your guitar playing wasn't half bad too! The song's name is 'Black Sheep'[*]; the movie version is waayyy better. You should listen to it!" The auburn haired girl answered with equal enthusiasm and exaggerated actions. The two of them were like best friends because of their love for music and uncanny similarities in character. They continued to chat away as Ritsu listened to her music player.

"Say, have I met you before? You look awfully familiar Eri-chan." The guitarist asked out of the blue.

"We were actually classmates during 1st year high school! You bumped into me before, remember?"

Yui hummed as she tried to recall. She was holding her chin while looking down at the pavement. Ritsu was intently listening to their conversation and she eagerly waited for the answer because she had the same question in mind

"Oh yeah! It was during the 3rd day of school. I bumped into you, and then you fell down the stairs…" Yui's voice died down as she realized that it probably wasn't a good memory for her friend. A smile was plastered on Eri's face as she urged the brunette to continue. Ritsu had a shocked expression on her face, her mouth agape.

"I-I'm sorry for that! Please forgive me!" The brunette clung onto the vocalist's arm as she wept and begged for the girl's forgiveness. "It's okay! What's done is done. I only had a few fractures because of that. No biggie!" Eri still had a huge smile on her face. She didn't seem to be angry nor bothered by the sudden revelation. In fact she seemed genuinely happy.

"Yui-chan, why don't you accompany me to see my dentist this Sunday? You know, to make up for it." The auburn haired girl said.

'Oh. So that's why she's happy. That is blackmailing at its finest.' Ritsu nodded appreciatively.

"I… I have plans this Sunday. But Captain Ricchan here can take you! Right?" Yui jabbed the drummer with her elbow. Her friend was caught off guard.

"Yeah!" Ritsu instinctively said. This was a defense mechanism that the girl had developed. Back then, Mio would also jab her with her elbow when she wanted the drummer to agree with her. If she said anything other than 'Yeah', it earned her a large bump on her head.

"Great! I'll see you at 9am; let's meet at the park near Kyodai. This is me then. Bye guys!" Eri said as she ran towards a black car. It must be her personal service.

'Crap.' Ritsu cursed under her breath. She mentally slapped herself as it all sunk in. Yui was going to pay for this, big time.

* * *

Several people were now staring at Ritsu, must of them shot looks of envy at her. In fact, there was now a crowd around her; she noticed it with her peripheral vision. As she raised her head, a pair of vibrant garnet eyes greeted her. Eri's face was in close proximity to her's, a mere inch separated their noses.

"I've been staring at you like this for almost 5 minutes now. Are you really alright?" The auburn haired girl placed her hand on Ritsu's cheek. Scrunched up eyebrows, a crinkled nose, a slight pout, and a tilted head—Eri wasn't aware of how cute and pretty she looked. Both of them looked good together, and their current position made them look like an intimate couple. No wonder people gathered around them. Ritsu had to snap out of it, or else a picture of them might end up in tomorrow's headlines. Mio would be so furious if she sees this.

"I'm okay. Thanks." Ritsu said as she stared straight into those captivating garnet orbs. The spell that was cast on her was just too powerful. "Have we met before?" The drummer blurted out. A 'truth spell' must've been cast on her along with a 'charm spell'. But she came back to reality as she realized what she had just said. She covered her mouth a little too late.

Ritsu thought that she saw a glimmer of joy flash in Eri's eyes, followed by what seemed to be pain. But the girl spun around quickly, her eyes now out of the drummer's sight.

"We were classmates…" Eri debated with herself as she chose her words wisely. "No, schoolmates during high school…" A hint of sadness tainted her silky smooth voice.

"Really? But I don't remember ever talking with you back then." The hazel haired girl went through her cherished memories of high school, hoping to find Eri in at least one of them.

"After the accident during 1st year, I transferred to another school. It was only during our senior year that I transferred back in Sakuragaoka, I was in class 3-3. You were busy with your club and I was busy with mine so we never saw each other. But I watched HTT's final performance, you guys were really awesome." Eri was now walking ahead of Ritsu, careful to hide her face from her friend.

"Of course! I was the club president back then. That's why we were legendary!" Ritsu grinned widely as she stood tall and proud. She considered founding HTT one of her greatest life achievements. "But Yui really messed up your high school life, didn't she? Sorry for what happened back then." Ritsu slumped forward and scratched the back of her neck as she apologized for her friend's sin. Nevertheless, she felt more at ease now that her question was answered by Eri.

The vocalist released the breath that she was unconsciously holding in. It was a good thing that Ritsu didn't sense anything else in her words. "Not to mention she broke my bones! No matter, I have 206 of 'em!" The auburn haired girl gave Ritsu a smile while winking and sticking her tongue out. This was the vocalist's signature pose which the drummer secretly thought was adorable.

Eri was really happy at the development. Maybe, just maybe, things will go back to the way they were. Maybe this was her opportunity to fix things; this was her opportunity to fight for the thing that she had once had and then lost.

Shortly after, they arrived at the dentist's clinic. It was a couple of blocks away from Ritsu's neighborhood. You could easily mistake the clinic for a house if not for the signboard hanging outside. It was comfy and homey inside; the lounge area even had a snack bar and huge comfortable sofa.

'Maybe this is the dentist's way to eliminate his patient's fear. It sure is working on me.' Ritsu thought. Eri excused herself; she said that the operation will only take a short amount of time. If you call 3 hours a short period of time, then yeah, it was really short. But Ritsu didn't mind, because she used those 3 hours to have her beauty sleep. When Eri woke her up, she felt rejuvenated. The dentist offered to check Ritsu's oral hygiene, but she kindly refused. She didn't like dentists or their clinics, they freaked her out.

* * *

It was 2:30 in the afternoon; both of them didn't eat lunch so they decided to eat out. "Eri-ojousama, after you." Ritsu opened the door and bowed as she signaled for the other girl to enter.

"My, my, such a gallant knight. Thank you, kind sir." Eri curtsied and then walked in gracefully. The drummer escorted the girl to the counter; they were taking long, slow strides.

The people at WcDonald's couldn't help but stare at the two girls.

They ate a lot at the fast food chain, earning them the stares of other diners. Their appetites were on par with that of a full grown man's, if not greater. The two girls were now walking in the streets of downtown Kyoto. "That hit the spot! Good ol' cheeseburger!" Eri pretended to rub her 'pot belly'.

"It'll go straight to our hips!" Ritsu chimed in as she put her arm around Eri's neck. She also pretended to rub her own 'pot belly'. Ever since she cleared things up with Eri, she felt more comfortable around her. The auburn haired girl's energetic and playful personality made Ritsu think that they could've been the best of friends if they had met during childhood.

"Eri-sama, do you mind if I ask you some questions?" Ritsu decided to get to know the girl better.

"Go, shoot!" Eri's garnet eyes twinkled as she pumped her fist in the air.

"Birthday?" - - - - - - - - - "June 23,199x"

"Favorite band?" - - - - - - "As of now, Supercell."

"Season?" - - - - - - - - - - "Winter."

"Fruit?" - - - - - - - - - - - "Honeydew."

"Color?" - - - - - - - - - - - "Orange!"

"Food?" - - - - - - - - - - - "Sashimi."

"Dog or cat?" - - - - - - - - "Snake."

"Ew." - - - - - - - - - - - - "Don't judge."

"Uhm. Gay relationships?" - - "Perfectly cool with it."

"Really. Yuri or Yaoi?" - - - - - "Both. I prefer yuri though, waayy hotter."

"Ex's?" - - - - - - - - - - - - "3. 2 boys, 1 girl."

"Wow." - - - - - - - - - - - - "Yeah. I'm awesome like that."

"Dere?" - - - - - - - - - - - - "Yandere. Hottest kind of dere out there."

"Dress or pants?" - - - - - - - "I prefer being naked."

". . . . . ." - - - - - - - - - - - "Joking! Dress, obviously."

"I thought so! Hahaha." A nervous laugh escaped Ritsu's lips. 'This girl is dangerous.'

*BZZT BZZT BZZT BZZT* Ritsu got a message from Yui.

'_Captain, Azu-nyan is here! We're gonna eat cake. Wanna join us?'_

Ritsu was about to reply when her phone was snatched by Eri. "Oh no you don't. We are spending this afternoon together free from any distractions." The girl shut off her phone and put it into her bag. Ritsu shrugged in agreement, she didn't really mind spending the afternoon with the girl. And there was no way that she would win in an argument with the girl.

A gust of wind blew a piece of paper onto Ritsu's face. It turned out to be a flier for a newly opened game centrum. After the girls read the flier, their eyes made contact and an agreement was formed: the last one to get there will pay for all of the expenses. With that they both broke into a run. The people looked at them like they were frenzied predators chasing their prey. Unfortunately for Ritsu, she was up against the track and field club's ace. Ritsu's wallet was gonna be empty by the end of the day.

* * *

"701, 702, 703, 704!' Eri joyfully counted her tickets. Within 2 hours of playing games, she had accumulated almost 1000 tickets and a sack of coins that she got by winning 5 jackpots from 5 different slot machines. "Let's hit the cranes next!"

"You sure are good at this." Ritsu said as she dragged the heavy sack of coins across the floor. Security guards were eyeing her suspiciously.

"I just got used to these kinds of games since I were little. My family owns a lot of game centers like this, and some casinos. That's our family's line of business. In fact, I think we own this place. Yeah, we do!"

"W-what? And you let me pay for all of those games?" Ritsu pouted as she realized that she had been tricked. "Fine. I'll treat you to dinner then. Truce?" The auburn haired girl slumped and sighed in defeat.

"Yes! And one more thing, win this plushy for me?" The drummer pointed at a pink plush toy that looked like a cross breed of a cat, jelly, and cotton. Her amber eyes yearned for the fluffy stuffed toy.

'So she still has her plush toy obsession.." The vocalist said to herself as she maneuvered the claw of the machine to the toy.

* * *

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"_Everytime I see you falling_

_I'll get down on my knees and pray_

_I'm waiting for the final moment_

_You'll say the words that I can't say."_[+]

The crowd applauded as Eri Yushouka finished the last song of her 3rd set. Among the crowd was Ritsu, who also cheered for the girl. Eri had such a mesmerizing voice. Her range was exceptional, during the past 3 hours she sang songs ranging from jazz, pop, rhythm and blues, to hip-hop and rapping. The girl's pitch was always on point; she always gave a clean performance. The tone of her voice was soothing, but it could also be powerful when she willed it to be.

After they got kicked out of the game centrum for winning too much, Eri insisted to bring Ritsu to a music lounge. The music lounge also doubled as a bar and a restaurant, this was where they had dinner. The place was huge, but when they got there it was jam packed. Luckily there was an open table near the center of the place. In the middle of their meal, Eri excused herself and went to the stage to perform. Ritsu thought that she would sing one song, but she ended up singing a lot of requests. Unexpectedly, the garnet eyed girl revealed that she worked there for the past 3 years. She had gigs every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday night. Among those who performed here, she was the most popular and sought after. Talent agencies even scouted her, but she declined all of their offers. She viewed singing as a hobby/her stress reliever, and not as a means of earning money.

"Eri-chan, nice job"

"Eri chan, Erichan! Sing this song next!"

"You're the best Yushouka-sama!"

"Marry me Eri-san"!

Control was slipping away as Ritsu was getting more and more irritated. The fans of Eri were so persistent; they would always crowd her and press their bodies against her. They would even hold Eri's hand or embrace her or put their hands on her body. What disturbed her most was that Eri didn't mind. The bright smile on the vocalist's face never faded, she would always give in to the requests of her fans.

'They are so irritating. How does she manage to act so nicely towards them?' Something was boiling inside Ritsu. She felt hot, her eyebrows were in a scowl, her teeth were gritted and her fists clenched. Ritsu was pissed. The weird thing was she didn't know why she was feeling this way.

"Hey, Ritsu! How was my singing? Did you like it?" The vocalist sat beside her friend and she took a sip from her water bottle. Her throat was starting to dry out. But she was happy, because a certain amber eyed girl was watching her performance.

"You were great. I can't say that about your fans though." Ritsu frowned after she said that, her fists still balled up. Eri noticed that sweat was starting to form on the drummer's forehead. They were in an air-conditioned place; she even wore a sweater due to the coldness inside.

"What's the matter? Are you okay?" The auburn haired girl held the other girl's clenched fists.

"I'm okay. I just feel a little… dizzy." Ritsu unclenched her fists and retracted them from the other's touch. She then took a swag from her bottle of beer. Now that the drummer thought of it, it must've been the beer's fault. This _was_ her 3rd bottle.

"You should stop drinking. I'll just finish my last set then we'll go. 'Kay?" She gave a big, bright smile to Ritsu. That smile, damn that smile. It was different from what Eri gave her fans. It had such warmth and comfort to it; it was a whole-hearted honest-to-God genuinely happy smile. That smile was brighter than anything that Ritsu had ever seen; it was even brighter than the sun.

"I don't—" Ritsu was about to say that she didn't think that she should stay any longer and that she should go ahead, but she was interrupted.

"Shou-chan! You're break is finished." The manager approached the girl to inform her. "Okay Sir, I'll be right up."

The vocalist fixed her clothes and stood up. She winked at Ritsu and patted her head "Ritsu, wait for me. Ok? Be right back!" She skipped to the stage, masterfully darting through the crowd.

'Shou-chan?' The name sounded familiar to Ritsu. She had heard it before, and she felt that she had to remember when and where she heard it. The girl forced her brain to remember, but her brain didn't want to cooperate. The memories that she got were blurry. Her head began to throb, and she saw blood drip on the table. The room suddenly became hot; it felt like she was inside an oven. Sweat started to trickle down her forehead; it was getting uncomfortable in her seat. Her eyes desperately searched for grey eyes; those cool and calming grey eyes. Strength. She wanted to borrow strength from those steel colored eyes. Her body was getting weak. She needed to find that pair of stormy grey eyes, but instead she found a pair of alluring garnet eyes.

Amber eyes shifted their gaze to the stage, where the owner of those garnet eyes was. Apparently the song had just ended and everybody, except her, was clapping. Painful; the sound of cheering was too much for her ears. Her calloused hands covered her ears and she closed her eyes. Her head was pulsating.

'What's happening to me?' Ritsu opened her eyes, and she saw Eri giving a man a kiss on the cheek. The crowd roared. Eri seemed happy; so did the man. This was the last straw, something inside Ritsu ached, she wanted to get rid of it badly yet she didn't know why nor how this happened. She had enough. She needed cool air, her brain needed to get its act together. Just then, garnet met amber.

* * *

"Ritsu, Ritsu!" Eri ran after the hazel-haired girl. Back at the lounge, the girl suddenly stood up and stormed out the door. The girl acted strange, so Eri rushed after her. The vocalist was panting heavily as she reached the corner of the street. She saw Ritsu by a lamp post, clutching her head with her right hand and the lamp post with her left. Five meters separated them, after three seconds the distance between them quickly dwindled down to five centimeters.

"Hey, look at me. What's wrong?" Eri tried to reach for Ritsu's forehead to check her temperature, but her hand was swatted away. "No, don't…" A mumble left the drummer's lips. She looked like she was in pain—her eyes were squinted and she constantly massaged her head. Her face was in a deep shade of red.

"Don't be so stubborn, let me help you." In an attempt to win, Eri held both of Ritsu's hands to prevent her from pushing her away. She then closed the gap between their faces, and she put her forehead on top of the drummer's. From afar, they appeared to be sharing an intimate kiss. It would be very bad if someone saw them like this.

It was hot. The amber eyed girl was very hot. Her forehead was burning up, and so was her body. Their noses were touching and Eri could feel the hot breath coming out of Ritsu's mouth. Ritsu had a high fever. Eri had to do something; she had to call an ambulance. But her cellphone was back at the lounge. She couldn't leave the sick girl behind just to get her cellphone. 'What do I do?' Then she had an idea.

"Ritsu, could I borrow your phone for a second?" There was no response.

"Ritsu." Still, no response.

"Hey. I'm talking to you— Oh my gosh. She fainted." Ritsu did faint. It was a miracle that she was still standing up. But slowly, she was starting to tilt to the right. Eri caught the girl before she hit the ground. The auburn haired girl searched the other's pockets for her cellphone. She then recalled that she took the girl's cellphone and placed it in her bag... Which was not with her... Because she left it at the lounge. She face palmed.

"Help! Somebody, please!" The garnet eyed girl shouted. She managed to maintain her composure. God answered her call in the form of a small, black haired girl who wore her hair in pigtails. "W-what happened?" The small girl knelt before them. Her face displayed confusion and worry.

"I checked her temperature with my forehead, it turned out that she's sick and now she fainted!" Eri summarized the situation in one breath so as to not waste time. The twin-tailed girl nodded and she took out her cellphone to call an ambulance.

Eri eyed at the girl, then her eyes widened in surprise. "Neko-chan!" She hugged the small girl while she was cradling Ritsu's head on her lap.

Azusa's eyes widened. All the embarrassing memories from middle school (that she somehow managed to push back into the depths of her mind) came flooding back to her. 'Only one girl calls me by that nickname…'

"Shouka….senpai?"

.

.

_**-To be continued-**_

[*] Originally sung by Metric; was used in the movie 'Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World'

[+] 'Bizarre Love Triangle' by Frente!

* * *

_**H**__**i guys, how are all of you doing?**_

_**First of all, I want to thank you guys for reading this FanFic of mine.**_

_**I really appreciate it, so thank you! I do hope that so far, the story is to your liking.**_

_**I've put a fair amount of time, effort, and heart into making this,**_

_**But personally, I think I could do better. It's just that I was so busy for the past 3 weeks. (Ehehe~)**_

_**What do you guys think?**_

_**I would love to know your opinions, comments, or suggestions.**_

_**Don't be shy, share them with me. Okay? :)**_

_**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**_

_**Next week my semestral break will start, so I'll have lots of time to work on this story.**_

_**Hopefully, I can make it better. Or at least make it a worthwhile read.**_

'_**Til next update!**_


	6. Connection

DISCLAIMER: K-ON! and its characters do not belong to me. This story may contain themes which may be not suitable for some audiences.

CHAPTER 6: Connection

* * *

How can someone escape their fate?

Fate can never be altered; it will always have its way.

* * *

**An apple nearly killed Mio.**

It was April 29th, a Monday and also Showa Day—a National Holiday for the whole of Japan. Mio decided to sleep in because this was the first "me" day that she had for the past couple of months. Sure, she was happy that she and Ritsu got to spend time together last Saturday, but due to that event she spent all of her Sunday catching up on the work that she had missed. Mio pulled an all-nighter just to finish half of the things on her to-do list. Her bedside clock read 12 noon when she got out of bed. She went over her mental checklist to make sure that she did not leave out anything.

Three 1000 word essays: Check

One colossal Venn diagram: Check

One lengthy PowerPoint Presentation: Check

3 Hour practice for contest: Check

"Okay, now all that's left to do is laundry, groceries, and budget planning," Mio talked to herself as she brushed her teeth. She then looked at herself in the mirror, and she gagged at what she saw. There were dark circles and huge bags under her eyes, which were blood-shot. Her black hair was really frizzy and random strands were sticking out. Her complexion looked pale, and her cheeks were concave instead of being puffy. She was now thinner, and she looked like she had just woken up from a century-long deep sleep.

"On second thought, maybe a trip to the spa should be my priority now." Mio heard something growl, after a few seconds she realized that it was her stomach. Because Mio was feeling lazy, she decided to eat fruit that require no peeling whatsoever. She plucked a random fruit out of the basket in the kitchen and she proceeded to turn on her phone. She had charged it last night but she forgot to turn it on due to her being busy.

'_35 New Messages'_ The screen read

"So many.."

*RING RING RING*

"Hello?" Mio answered the call. "Mio-chan! I've been trying to reach you since early this morning!" The voice on the other line had a sense of urgency in its tone.

"Mugi! Sorry, I overslept. What's wrong?" The bassist took a big bite from the red apple that she was holding. She then munched away.

"It's Ritsu! She's…" As Mio heard the rest of the news, she choked on the morsel of apple that she was chewing. It was a good thing that she knew how to do the Heimlich maneuver on herself. After she spat out the chunk of fruit, she hurriedly went to her room to change. She regretted oversleeping and forgetting about her phone. As she was putting a pair of jeans on, only one thing was on her mind: Ritsu.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"She's late!" An 8-year old Ritsu said as she stomped the ground and crossed her arms. She was getting impatient as she waited for her childhood friend.

At her back, there was a huge white bus. All her classmates were inside including the teacher. A majority of her classmates were whining because they wanted to leave for their fieldtrip. Kaoru-sensei, even though she was a very patient and kind teacher (God bless her), was now furiously tapping the face of her wristwatch as she tried to calm the children down.

"Ricchan, get inside NOW or else we will leave you behind." Kaoru-sensei threatened. They were now twenty minutes behind schedule.

"But I'm still waiting for my best friend! Five more minutes, please?" Little Ritsu pleaded. She also really wanted to leave, but she couldn't go through their field trip without her best friend by her side.

"I'm giving you until the count of three. One, two, th—"

In the distance, a small girl's silhouette became visible. This girl was running while frantically waving her hands as if to say 'Hey I'm here, don't leave me!'. The girl was now only 10 meters away, her forehead lined with sweat and her face was now in the same shade as the red dress that she wore.

"Ricchan, Kaoru-sensei! Wait!" The girl shouted, her high pitched sound caught the attention of many on-lookers.

Relief washed over the teacher and the hazel haired girl. As much as Kaoru-sensei wanted to jump for joy, she couldn't because she restrained herself. A teacher must always keep a cool and calm façade. Ricchan, however, was not a teacher. The little girl jumped and jumped and jumped, she couldn't stop herself. "Shouchan, you can do it! Fight-o!" Ricchan jumped and punched the air hoping to share her energy with her childhood friend, Eri Yushouka. Even though the auburn haired girl was more energetic and outgoing than her, the girl had a frail body and even had asthma.

The poor auburn haired girl was panting heavily; if it wasn't for Ricchan's cheering, she swore that she couldn't have reached the bus at all. When she reached the vehicle, the hazel haired girl pulled her inside and guided her to their seats. Ricchan then gave the other girl an inhaler to ease her full-blown asthma attack. The girl always carried around an extra inhaler in case things like this happen to her friend.

"Thanks Ricchan, you saved me again." Shouchan was coughing and wheezing as her breathing started to stabilize. She wouldn't have been late if her shuttle hadn't broken down in the middle of nowhere. Halfway through her run, she realized that she had left her inhaler at the car. She was one lucky girl.

"Don't mention it, anything for my best friend!" Ricchan smiled at her as she was gently patting the girl's back in a circular pattern. The bus slowly lurched forward and the children inside cheered. Finally, their field trip was starting.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* * *

**Little Eri never imagined that war could be so beautiful.** She was always the passive-submissive one; always being bullied or ordered around by other kids. She hated encounters with her bullies, not because she was afraid of them or of being beaten up, but because she hated feeling so defenseless and weak.

Everything changed when she had met Ritsu four years ago. Mrs. Yushouka decided that her daughter should go on a play date with a close friend's daughter, who was also 4-years old. At first Ritsu didn't pay much attention to her because she thought that Eri was 'uninteresting'. The auburn haired girl didn't like her either, because she was much too loud for her; she reminded her of the bullies in their neighborhood.

One day, Ritsu saw that Eri was being bullied by three older kids. She felt sorry for her, so she intervened and saved the girl from them. Ever since then, the two girls had been inseparable. Eri's bullies also stopped pestering her. Eri called her 'Ricchan' because she thought it sounded cute, while Ritsu called her 'Shouchan' because she couldn't correctly pronounce Eri's first and last name.

Thanks to Ritsu, Eri was saved from the harshness of the world and more importantly she was saved from herself. If the hazel haired girl hadn't come to her life, there was no telling if she would be the same as she was now. The girl had shown Eri how to have fun and how to show compassion for others; Ricchan had been a really good influence on her.

That same girl was with her today, admiring artifacts from World War II. All the remnants of war made little Eri appreciate the sacrifices that were made by other people so that Japan could be what it is today. Yes, war is brutal and horrible, but through war people can defend and fight for what they love and believe in. If you look past all the killing, bombing, and all the bad stuff, war was actually quite beautiful at the same time very deadly.

"Hey Ricchan," Shouchan was about to share her insights with her friend, but she was nowhere near her. The auburn haired girl scanned her surroundings until she found big bright amber eyes.

"Shouchan~! Over here!" Ricchan was waving at her. Everything would've been fine except that Ricchan was maniacally waving at her from the top of an antique 10-foot artillery gun. Shouchan almost fainted. All the sugar from eating too much candy must have finally taken its effect on her friend.

"Please get down from there Ricchan!" Shouchan said in a hushed voice.

"Ehhh? No way! Take a picture of me first!" Ricchan tossed her film camera to her friend, who very nearly dropped the said camera as she caught it. Arguing with the hazel haired girl would lead nowhere, so Shouchan humored her friend's request. Ricchan climbed down as soon as the other girl took the picture.

"Wanna go next?" The amber eyed girl said to her, a mischievous grin on her face. Shouchan declined the offer. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't because she was afraid of heights. Also, she didn't want to have an asthma attack in the middle of climbing the big gun.

The two girls continued roaming the museum, taking pictures of relics of war. They thought that they were the only ones left, all their other classmates were at a nearby park having their afternoon snack. Little did the two girls know that a black haired girl and a blond were trailing after them.

* * *

"Miochan, is this really okay?" Mugichan was now growing impatient, tired, and most importantly hungry. She and her best friend, Mio, had been following two of their classmates around for the past 6 hours or so. Eavesdropping was always frowned upon in the Kotobuki Residence. So for Mugichan, it was very thrilling to go on an 'adventure' like this—at first. But after nearly three years of gathering data about Ritsu Tainaka, the once thrilling adventure had become a boring daily routine. Without her noticing it, she was slowly becoming a walking encyclopedia about Ritsu. It was very odd stalking her own relative.

"Please Mugichan? We'll follow them up to the bus then we can go.." Little Miochan was now pulling her hand as they searched for the two girls. They had lost them after they went on a quick potty break. It wasn't Mugichan's fault that she had a small bladder, and it also wasn't her fault that Ritsu couldn't stay in one place for two minutes. Miochan and Mugichan traced back their steps: the creepy wax museum, artillery room, bomb area, concession stand, and the restroom—well, no Ritsu in all of those places.

"Miochan, let's eat. I'm hungry." The ojou-sama was pulling on the hem of her friend's shirt. She wasn't really hungry, she just wanted to sit down and take a break. The obsession of her friend was worsening; Mugichan couldn't help but feel responsible for it. After all, she was the one who suggested that Miochan should get to know Ritsu better. Not in this manner, her shy friend must have misinterpreted her words. She had a lot of opportunities to stop her friend, but she had wasted all of those opportunities.

"Uhmm.." Miochan looked like she was debating with herself. "Okay, but just for 10 minutes."

'Hurray!' Mugichan thought as she plopped down on the soft, green grass. They chose a spot that was overlooking the bus and the park where their classmates were. The first 5 minutes were spent in silence, until Mugichan started a conversation. "So.. What new details have you noted?" There was no way that she could hold a long conversation with Miochan if their topic was not about Ritsu or academics.

"Well, I noticed that she has a new scratch on her left elbow. It wasn't there yesterday. And her right eye still twitches whenever she smiles nervously." Miochan was scanning her notepad as if she was giving a status report. This always amazed Mugichan. Her friend was pretty thorough when jotting down facts or notes, whether it be about Ritsu or class lectures.

"Why do you keep on doing this Miochan? Why not just talk to her?" Mugichan asked.

". . . . ." Her friend answered, but it was much too soft to be heard by human ears. "Pardon?" the blond scooted closer to her friend.

"I said that I already did that.. But I fainted after I said 'Hi'.." The black haired girl said in a monotonous voice. Mugichan was unsure if her friend was sad, embarrassed, or happy. Why happy? Because as her friend narrated her encounter with Ritsu, she had a melancholic kind of smile on her face. Maybe Miochan was glad that Ritsu finally noticed her for five seconds.

"But I'm content with following her around in the shadows. If what makes her happy is her being with Erichan, then I would gladly stand out of the way. I will be patiently waiting and foolishly hoping that someday, her warm smile and gentle laughter will be directed to me, and only me." Miochan blurted out.

Wow. Mugichan thought that her friend was really mature for an 8-year old girl. Even though Miochan appeared to be a cold introvert, she was truly a selfless, caring, and sweet person. Then and there, Mugichan swore to herself that she would support and help her friend get what she desires most. The ojousama did have a soft spot for underdogs.

"Aw, Miochan, let me give you a hug!" The blond girl wasn't offering a hug; rather she was _ordering_ Miochan to let her hug the girl. The black haired girl was about to protest, but too late, the ojousama had her in a bear hug before she knew it.

Right at that moment, Ricchan and Shouchan were sprinting for the bus. Unknown to the four girls, this was the exact moment in time wherein their future would be changed. The red string of fate was now at work, it was slowly linking them with each other.

* * *

"Ritsu!" The doors of Ritsu's private hospital room flew open with a loud thud. A black haired girl wearing a white shirt, baggy pants, and mismatched flip-flops was standing in the doorway, desperately trying to catch her breath. In less than an hour Mio managed to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto by using her family's private helicopter. It was a good thing that the hospital had a helipad on their roof. As soon as the helicopter landed, the bassist ran to her beloved's room. Mio expected to see her girlfriend bedridden, unconscious, and with tubes sticking out of her arms. Instead, what she saw shocked her even more.

Ritsu was in a white patient's gown, and she was profusely sweating. And no, it was not because she was sick or anything. Ritsu was playing Dance Central 3 on her Kinect. Mugi, Azusa, and Yui were there; they were cheering for the hazel haired girl. The song was now on its last verse.

"Whew, I crushed that song! Oh, hey my Mio-chuan~!" The drummer was wiping away her sweat when she noticed that Mio was staring at her in disbelief. "Mio-chan/Mio-senpai/Mioooochan!" The other girls also greeted her. Ritsu was on her way to Mio; she had her arms spread—ready to receive a hug from her beloved girlfriend. Ritsu should have been more careful.

. . . . . *WHAM!* . . . . . *THUD*

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! You had me worried sick, I thought you were in serious trouble! I even rushed here without a second thought and you greet me with THIS?!"

Steam was now bellowing from Mio's nose, ears, and mouth. Ritsu lay on the ground, unmoving. The three other girls watched in horror as the Dangerous Queen once again unleashed her fury on a mere mortal. A full minute passed, usually by this time Ritsu was up and begging for forgiveness, but that wasn't the case. The drummer still lay face first on the hospital room floor. Mio was now getting worried, but it was Mugi who checked on the drummer.

"Mio-chan, it seems that you over did it." Mugi rolled Ritsu over. The girl's amber eyes were nowhere to be found; instead her eyes were pure white. Steam was coming out of her mouth. For the second time in 24 hours, Ritsu had fainted. The bassist panicked and immediately felt guilty, so she helped the blond girl carry their friend to the bed.

Ritsu was now tucked in and fast asleep. Mio, Mugi, Yui and Azusa were now gathered at the table. They were sipping on tea and eating pastries, all thanks to a certain ojou-sama. Old habits were really difficult to break. Mio decided to ask her friends for the details regarding her girlfriend's hospitalization. Yui and Mugi remained silent because they also didn't know much about the topic; they had arrived an hour before Mio did. All eyes then turned to Azusa.

"Uhmm.." The girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Azusa felt nervous because what she was about to say to her friends was 40% true and 60% false.

Azusa began the story by telling her senpais that Ritsu was rushed to the hospital late last night because she had a very high fever. She also told them that she was the one who helped her and called for an ambulance. "But how did you see her?" Mio asked. "I saw her as I was going home from Yui-senpai's house; she fainted a few meters from a convenience store." That was the first lie that Azusa told her senpais. Mio nodded in response.

Next, she told her friends that the doctor told her that the cause of her fever was fatigue and lack of sleep. Azusa also said that Ritsu started feeling better a little over 2 hours ago. "The doctor also said that Ritsu-senpai can check-out tonight and rest at home. Here's her prescription for her medicine. The twin-tailed girl gave three pieces of paper to Mio.

"Is that so.. Thank you Azusa." Mio bowed her head in gratitude. She was thankful that her kouhai was very dependable and responsible.

"No problem, Mio-senpai." Azusa bowed. She had to hide her face as the guilt of lying to her friends finally sunk in. She wondered if it was okay to not tell her friends that Shouka-senpai was with the drummer last night, and that she was not the one who actually took care of Ritsu-senpai. She also wondered why Shouka-senpai begged her not to mention to her friends anything about her presence. The auburn haired girl left immediately after she got a private room for the drummer and was sure that the sick girl was settled in.

What in the world has she gotten herself into? 'Well, there's no turning back now.' Azusa sighed.

The four girls exchanged stories about their respective school lives. It was the first time in years that they had tea and cake together. All of them were happy and thankful that they were all still good friends and they all got along together.

As they were chatting away, the one in bed started to shift. Then Ritsu said something in her sleep that made Mio, Mugi, and Azusa freeze.

"_Ngh. Shouchan…"_

Yui wasn't affected because she was focused on her cake. She then said out loud, completely oblivious to the change in atmosphere in the room "Ne, ne, it looks like Ricchan is having a wonderful dream!" Yui then happily took a bite from her mont blanc.

_**-To be continued.-**_

**Ugh. I feel horrible! Sorry for the late update.**

**At the last moment, life decided to suckerpunch me,**

**So I ended up being busy since the 9****th**** (start of our sembreak)**

**1-a: I'm currently a student here at SLU..**

**(Somewhere in the Philippines!) :)**

**For KookieSundae, Katharsis-28, and all the other readers in FF land:**

**To summarize****:**

**-Ritsu and Eri, Mugi and Mio—actual childhood friends**

**-Ritsu and Mugi—somehow related to each other**

**-Something important happened when they were 8 years old**

***They are now 19-20 ish**

**SO:**

**-Why doesn't Ritsu remember a thing?**

**-How did Mio end up as Ritsu's childhood friend?**

**-What happened to Eri for the past 10+ years?**

**-Will Azusa and Eri's past be revealed?**

**Unfortunately, I can't answer all that right now..**

**Ehehe..**

**So, stay tuned folks!**

'**Til next update :)**


	7. Prelude

DISCLAIMER: K-ON! and its characters do not belong to me. :) 

* * *

CHAPTER 7: Prelude

Something big comes this way.

* * *

"Dang, I should have worn that stupid, overly-girly, frilly pink dress." Ritsu said as she was evaluating her recent string of bad choices. If she had chosen to wear that dress, she could have avoided this fiasco—Eri was crying; Yui was passed out on the couch; and the rest of her band mates were bickering with each other.

Oh, how she wished she had a do-over button. Or better yet, a magical remote control that could turn back time or fast forward time would have been nice. Ritsu would have gone back 24 hours ago so that she could skip school and escape all of this. But alas, she did not have any of her dream gadgets.

Her only option was to suck it up and get through this with all the patience and knowledge that she possessed. Hopefully, Ritsu will emerge unscathed by the end of this glorious Tuesday night.

* * *

_**THIS MORNING**_

Ritsu's day started out so perfectly that she couldn't have asked for more. When she woke up, she still felt ill so she decided to skip her first class. It turned out that they had a major quiz that day. And when she got to Kyodai, she realized that her wallet and cellphone were missing. To top it all off, she and Mio were not in good terms. Last night, Mio got mad at her. Their petty quarrel turned into a shouting death match, things went from bad to worse in just a matter of minutes. Yeah, hands down the best day EVER in Ritsu's life.

"Why is this happening to meee…" The hazel haired girl was sulking in her seat, the banging of her head on her desk made a steady 2-count beat. Her stomach was rumbling—she had missed breakfast and now, during her lunch break the cafeteria was closed. She could have eaten out, but three things hindered her 1) It was raining; 2) She had no umbrella; and 3) She had lost her wallet. The drummer was stuck in her classroom, hungry, cold, and pissed off. She decided to rant to release the stress that was building up.

"Three tests in a row can't be a coincidence. I wasn't even prepared for those tests! Geez, the professors must be ganging up on me. But what have I ever done to them? I am a good girl, aren't I? Of course I am!.. Uhmm.. Maybe?.. A little?.. A tiny bit?.. Argh! Or maybe the government is somehow involved in this? Or maybe I'm being Punk'd? Yeah, that must be it…" The girl continued to rant, her head face down on her desk. She then heard a chair being pulled next to her. Ritsu, being herself, was too lazy to check who it was.

"Rough day?" The other person asked.

"No, everything's fine; couldn't be happier." Her stomach grumbled again, this time louder than before. "Peachy. Just. Peachy." Ritsu said as she grabbed her stomach. The other person, a girl, giggled and something was placed on top of the desk. "Here you go." The other girl said.

Amber ayes took a peek at the desk—on top were a cellphone, a wallet, and a box of what looked like Ritsu's favorite snack item. 'Could it be?' Ritsu asked herself as her hands grabbed the box. She read the label and waved it in the air. "Yes! Kinoko no Yama! Thanks Eri-sama!" The amber eyed girl's spirit was quickly lifted, a huge smile was on her face as she opened the box.

So how was Eri in the same room as her? Simple—Eri was Ritsu's block mate. Ritsu discovered such fact a week ago, when she had mistaken Eri as a stalker. The auburn haired girl laughed at Ritsu when the latter confronted her. The vocalist also took up Sociology for the same reasons as Ritsu, but the hazel haired girl thought that Sociology didn't suit the other girl; she would've been better off with a degree in what she exceled at, like the Performing Arts, or gambling. Whichever was fine.

"Wow, you're like a starved animal. Anywayyy, do you mind telling me what your problem is?" Eri said as she leaned back on her chair, her head was tilted to the left. She had an amused look on her face.

"What if I refuse to tell you?" The drummer said as she stuffed five biscuits in her mouth. Eri was really amused at this; she thought that Ritsu had the jaw of a snake and that it was very cool. The vocalist also imagined what the girl would look like if she were a snake. Eri snapped out of her daydream and she waved a box of goodies in front of her.

"Then you say bye-bye to Kinoko-kun." Eri said with a smile on her face. She had just finished her sentence when the box was grabbed from her hand. "Fine, I'll tell you.." Ritsu then narrated her misfortune: about her wallet, the rain, the tests, and everything else. But when it came to the part where Mio and she fought, Ritsu didn't elaborate much. Her heart ached whenever she recalled the memory. The drummer also managed to thank the girl for returning her stuff and for feeding her.

When Ritsu finished telling her story, she felt her chest loosen a bit. She thought that shouldering everything was the only solution; she didn't want to be a bother to others. But after the talk with Eri, she realized that it actually felt nice to confide in others, Eri might be super talkative at times, but she was also a good listener. It was nice to know that Ritsu had a new friend whom she can depend on from time to time.

The vocalist gazed out the window as she processed what Ritsu had told her. 'Mio.. Mio Akiyama huh? They're still together. I might as well play dumb to avoid suspicion.' She then spoke to Ritsu.

"You sure have a lot on your plate! Good thing I came to your aid huh? You now owe me. Hahaha! Oh, by the way, is Mio your.. girlfriend? What did you fight about?" Eri asked in a casual tone. Her poker face was very convincing—she had the usual bright smile and warm aura.

"Owe you? We had no such agreement! Spare me Oh Great One! Uhh, yeah she is! Haven't I told you before? Come to think of it, you two should totally hangout." Ritsu avoided answering the last question. Pieces of chocolate were stuck to her front teeth; seemingly the word 'etiquette' was non-existent in her vocabulary whenever the girl was eating snacks.

'Hangout? Why should I?' Eri said to herself, but different words came out of her mouth. "Yeah, I would love to! We could exchange notes regarding disciplining you. Hmm." Eri pretended to think about the drummer's offer. The amber eyed girl shuddered, and she attempted to change the topic. "Ahahaha. I guess someone who's single has it easy, no? You sure are lucky!"

"I have a boyfriend, silly." Eri said non-chalantly, as if it were written in stone. The other girl stopped eating at the mention of this.

"YOU WHAT?!" Ritsu and the other people in class—mostly boys—collectively shouted. Their classmates were eavesdropping on their 'private' conversation. Both of them were the famous ones in their class, heck in the entire school even.

"Why are you so shocked? Being this amazing, it is but normal for a boy to come begging on his knees for my attention. Ohohoho!" Eri said as she laughed like an ojousama, minus the grace and proper mannerism of one. Ritsu deadpanned; the vocalist could be so egoistic at times. But who could blame her? She was really close to being perfect.

"So much for humility…" Ritsu said. She then felt chills running down her spine, the auburn haired girl was giving her a creepy smile—the kind of smile that you would see before you meet a fatal 'accident'. "Uhh I mean, you truly are humble Eri-sama! Any guy would be lucky to even get a glare from you, right?" Ritsu nervously turned to the crowd; she was hoping that they would agree with her. Fortunately they all did for they know the consequence if they did not. They were one smart group of students.

"Here, look at me and Ken-kun. Aren't we just adorable?" Eri gave her cellphone to Ritsu. A boy with short black hair had his arms around Eri. She in turn had her arms wrapped on the boy's waist. Both of them were smiling brightly. The boy was very attractive, he had a muscular build and he was slightly taller than the girl. The drummer thought that if the boy tried to, he would have succeeded in turning Ritsu straight. The couple looked very happy; Ritsu felt a pang of jealousy but she chose to ignore it.

"You look good… together." The amber eyed girl finally said, she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. She reluctantly gave a small smile to Eri.

Before the other girl could answer, the bell rang. She remembered that she had Track and Field practice next. Eri excused herself and was about to run off, but Ritsu stopped her. The drummer said that their practice was cancelled. How does she know? Eri didn't even tell her about the practice in the first place.

"Are you psychic?" The vocalist asked.

"No. Haha! Your teammate sent you a mail. See?" Ritsu held out Eri's phone. True enough, their practice was cancelled due to the bad weather. Due to the commotion, the garnet eyed girl forgot that her cellphone was still in the other girl's possession. She then got a bad feeling in her gut.

Ritsu handed over the cellphone to its owner then said "By the way, the green bikini suits you best." An impish grin was plastered on the drummer's face. Eri's worst fear had come true; Ritsu had found the photo album full of pictures of her in different bikinis. The vocalist wanted to slap the other girl hard, most of all she wanted to kick herself. It was so embarrassing!

Eri managed to maintain her calm and collected exterior, she then replied. "Is that so? Do you want a copy?" The auburn haired girl put her hands on Ritsu's desk as she leaned forward, exposing the top part of her 'mountain range'. The impish grin on the hazel haired girl's face was wiped off; now her mouth was open and her face had a pinkish hue. 'You have a long way to go before you beat me, Ricchan.' The vocalist said in her mind as she grinned coyly.

* * *

'Hold on Yui. I'm coming!' Ritsu was running at full speed to her band's club room. Earlier she received a disturbing message from her guitarist friend. Yui was in danger. Ritsu was about to call her friend, then her cellphone died. So she searched the University grounds for her friend, but to no avail. The club room was the only place that she had not yet checked.

Finally, Ritsu was outside the room. The door violently swung open as she made her grand entrance "Yui! I'm here!—WHAT THE HELL?!" Yui was bound and gagged onto a chair while the other band members put makeup on her. The brunette was wearing a super girly, baby blue colored maid outfit/drag queen kind of dress. It sort of reminded Ritsu of the dress that she wore during HTT's first performance, but this dress was much more _intolerable_.

"I-is Sawa-chan here? Is she the threat that you spoke of?" Ritsu asked her friend as she scanned the room, hoping to see her former adviser sipping on a cup of tea while planning something devious. No one matched the description.

"Who's Sawa-chan? Well, do you like the outfit for tomorrow's gig?" Yuuki, the band leader, appeared in front of Ritsu. The drummer deduced that the other girl was admiring her handicraft. With that in mind, she chose her following words wisely. "Uhm, we have a gig tomorrow?" Ritsu dodged the topic about the dress.

Ritsu anxiously waited for the answer. She hoped that Yuuki wouldn't notice her dodging the subject, and her prayers were answered. The band leader was too engrossed in her admiration for her 'fashion creation'. Yuuki totally ignored Ritsu as the former approached the dress. Relief washed over Ritsu. She was ecstatic because they finally booked their first gig, but she was still feeling uneasy knowing that they were going to wear those hideous—no, _lovely_ dresses. 'Hooray, I can't wait..' She mentally cheered.

"You, my friend, sure look enthusiastic." Eri was standing behind her, the auburn haired girl wore the same dress but it was in a shade of red. Strangely, Eri made the dress look good. The girl was like a clothes hanger; any piece of clothing suited her well. The drummer also noticed that Eri was holding another dress, this time it was pinkish in color. She was sure that the dress was for her because the letters R-I-T-S-U were written on the tag. She panicked.

Even though Ritsu was physically fit, she doubted that she could pull off wearing that dress. It was not her style, she rather wear pants over dresses. "How can I get out of this?" Ritsu asked Eri.

"We do need a place to practice…" The vocalist crossed her arms and tilted her head to the right. She was also slightly pouting. This was the pose that she made whenever she was 'making a deal' with someone.

"D-done! Let me call home first." Ritsu opened her phone, and then she froze. "Uhhm. Eri-chan. Can I..?" The drummer was holding her hand out in an embarrassed manner. Eri sighed, and then she gave Ritsu her phone. The hazel haired girl bowed and went out of the room to make a phone call.

"Wow, I can't believe your plan worked." Yuuki said to Eri, who just gave her a smile. The truth was they weren't going to wear those dresses; they just needed a studio to practice in. Since their houses had no such equipment, Eri devised a plan so that Ritsu will be forced to let them use her personal studio. Eri could have asked Ritsu directly, but where's the fun in that? The auburn haired girl decided to put a lively spin on things. All of the other band members were her accomplices, including Yui.

It would be a perfect opportunity for her to spend time with Ritsu, and hopefully gather more information about the drummer. Oh, and this was for the gig and for the band, which was also a plus. Eri was happy.

* * *

Now, let's go back to the present. It has been three hours since the girls arrived at Ritsu's not-so-humble abode. The Tainaka Family House was very expansive; the driveway alone easily covered an acre. Their real estate was truly jaw dropping. The girls should have been almost done with their practice; Ritsu's studio did have the newest equipment available which could make life easier for aspiring musicians. But in fact, they had not even started yet. Eri and the others brought food and drinks with them. This turned their practice session into a small acquaintance party. Ritsu should have been happy with the development yet she was not. The drummer would have been better off if they had used the time for practicing, and Ritsu isn't even the responsible-practice addict type.

Someone had spiked the fruit punch with alcohol. Ritsu was the only one who was sober at the studio. Because of that, she was the designated nanny of her drunk band mates. That night, she learned the different types of drunk people. Ritsu narrowed it down to 7 types.

First was the 'Sleepy' Drunk. Thankfully, Yui belonged in this category. The brunette fell asleep on one of the studio's several couches. Ritsu had not expected that Yui would be so tame when intoxicated. Things would have been worse if she belonged to a more destructive type.

Next, there were the 'Happy', 'Sad', 'Reckless', 'Philosophical, and 'Sleazy' Drunks. The other band members, including Yuuki, belonged in those types. The girls were having a heated debate about which boy band was the hottest. Occasionally, Ritsu would hear band names such as '1D', or 'BTR'; or random sentences/phrases like 'I'm flying!' or 'Where's my pants?'. Nevertheless the drummer couldn't follow their discussions because those band names were unfamiliar to her, and she was certain that they were all using 'drunk lingo'. But one thing was certain—Ritsu was pretty sure that 'Justin Bieber' was not a boy band.

The last type of drunk is 'Emotional'. According to Ritsu, this type was the trickiest and most dangerous one. Eri dominated this category. The auburn haired girl had been having mood swings for the past hour—first she was all smiles, then she was talkative, then she was crying a river like there was no tomorrow. Currently, Eri was still crying.

Ritsu had been busy taking care of the others as Eri sobbed away in one corner of the room. The drummer finally decided to check on the girl. 'Here goes nothing.' Ritsu gulped as she made her way to the auburn haired girl, she proceeded with caution.

"Eri-chan. What's wrong?" Ritsu squatted next to the crying girl, a mere foot separated them.

"I-it's just that. . . Neko-chan. . . *sob*" The vocalist was holding a huge wad of tissues under her garnet eyes.

"Uhuh. What about dear Neko-chan?" The drummer held a box of tissues.

"S-she. . . she. . . lost against the Nya-Nyangolownians! *hic*" Eri let out a loud wail and she sobbed uncontrollably. The other girls were too drunk to notice her.

'EH?' Ritsu deadpanned. Eri lost her at 'neko-chan', the drummer was just going with the flow at this stage.

The drunk girl continued "N-n-now, Earth will be d-d-d-doomed! *sob* N-nya-nyaboron is n-n-no more, people will s-starve! *hic*"

"Calm down Eri-chan, I'm sure that Earth will be just fine…" Amber eyes reassured the girl, the one with garnet eyes believed her. And then Ritsu heard someone gag. It was Yui, she had woken up and looked like she was about to puke. Ritsu hurriedly grabbed a pail and rushed to her friend's side. It would be very troublesome if Yui's Mexican Lunch stained the studio's expensive carpet. Ritsu was really having a bad day.

*_**DING DONG**_*

Someone was at the front door. It must be the pizza delivery guy, he sure was late. Ritsu couldn't get it right now because she was busy so she asked her friends. "Hey, can anyone get that for me?" To her surprise, Eri stood up and volunteered. Ritsu wasn't sure if the girl was already sober or if she just had another mood swing. Regardless, Ritsu was relieved.

* * *

"Achoo!" Mio reached for a piece of Kleenex to wipe her nose. She was sick since this morning. After she and Ritsu had fought, Mio ran through the pouring rain all the way to their old family house. As soon as Mrs. Akiyama wrapped her arms around her daughter, the bassist broke down and cried nonstop. Her mother comforted her and advised her to stay the night. Mio obliged and she planned on leaving for Tokyo early that morning. But when she woke up, her body felt heavy, her nose was runny, and she had no voice.

Mio informed Mugi via mail, she also mailed her classmates-Hideaki and Kentaro-and asked them for copies of today's lectures. Mio didn't want to skip school, but she had no choice. She had to have bed rest in order for her to recover. While resting, the bassist had time to reflect on her fight with Ritsu.

"I shouldn't have lost my cool. Ritsu didn't even do anything wrong." Mio was feeling guilty because of her sudden outburst. She just blew off steam due to stress and her insecurities which worsened when she heard the drummer sleeptalk about Eri Yushouka. Unfortunately for Ritsu, she was her unwilling victim. They ended up shouting unflattering words at each other, and a year's worth of angst was released in a matter of minutes. Mio should apologize to the girl as soon as possible, it was all her fault; she started their quarrel.

"Miochan, how are you doing?" Her mother checked on her, she brought soup and medicine. Mrs. Akiyama also checked Mio's temperature; her daughter's fever had significantly gone down but she was still in pretty bad condition.

"I'm okay Mom. I still can't breathe through my nose though." Mio blew her nose to prove a point. Her grey eyes looked very sleepy, or sad. Her mother was not sure which one.

"Your temperature went down, you should continue to rest. By the way, you have guests." A black haired boy and a blond girl entered the room. Mrs. Akiyama kissed Mio on the forehead and excused herself.

"Mugi? Okada-san? Why are you here?" Mio said as she sat up on her bed with difficulty.

"We came here to visit you…" the blond said, "And also to give you this," Kentaro Okada held out a basket of fruit topped with a thick envelope filled with envelopes. "These are our lecture notes.. and some healthy fruit full of vitamins!" The boy said as he placed the basket on top of Mio's bed side table.

"Thank you both, you shouldn't have. It's already late out." The bassist attempted to get out of bed so that she can thank her friends properly. As she was doing so, she was struggling and wobbling pretty badly. Mugi went to her side and stopped her from getting up. The pianist tucked her in bed and said "Mio-chan, it's okay. That's what friends are for, ne? Now you need to get some rest. Get well soon, okay?" Mio nodded like a child. She was moved by her friend's kindness, her eyes were tearing up.

The boy couldn't help but watch the two girls as they had their 'special moment'.

"We'll be going then, Good Night Mio-chan." The blond heiress said. "Good night Akiyama-san, hope to see you soon at Todai!" The boy cheerfully said.

"Mugi, Okada-san, please wait." Mugi and Kentaro were stopped by Mio. The bassist gestured for the blond to come near her. Mugi was by the girl's side, then Mio spoke "I have a favor to ask of you…" The heiress nodded and Mio whispered something in her ear.

Afterwards, the ojousama had a stern look on her face. "Are you sure about this?" Mugi asked her friend. Mio nodded fervently.

"Okay. Ken-kun, we need you." Mugi called for the boy. Once she was beside the girls, the blond told him the plan.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A black Porsche Carrera stopped in front of the main stairway of a gigantic mansion.

The passenger side's door opened, and a girl with long jet-black hair stepped out. It was freezing cold outside, the long coat that the girl wore failed to warm her up. Every breath that she exhaled turned into a white cloud in front of her, and her face was flushed.

"Mio-chan, do you want to go through with this?" Mugi said in a concerned tone. Clearly, her friend was still very sick. The heiress feared that the girl was pushing herself too hard; Mio's fever might worsen. "Kotobuki-san's right, you look still look awful. Your fever might escalate." Kentaro backed up Mugi. He didn't want to see Mio like this. He sighed in frustration.

The bassist was feeling extremely lightheaded, but she managed to nod in affirmation. "Don't worry Mugi, Okada-san, I'll be alright." She reassured her friends. With that, she turned to face the stairway. Mio had to go through with this, she was already here anyway.

That same night, Mio decided to confront Ritsu so that she could apologize for what she did. The guilt was just too much; it was as if it made her feel even worse. Mio had had enough of the pain and guilt; she can't let it drag on for too long. So she asked her friends to accompany her to Ritsu's place, but she also said that talking to Ritsu was something that she had to do alone.

Mio walked slowly up the stairs, towards the mansion's big oak doors. She went over her 'sorry' speech in her head. The black haired girl began to feel nauseous, her palms were sweating, and her heart was pounding intensely. Was it because of her fever? Or was it because she was nervous?

The bassist exhaled, and then she pressed the doorbell. After an agonizing 3 minutes of waiting and deciding whether to run away or not, Mio heard footsteps coming from inside the mansion. "Okay Mio, this is the moment of truth." She braced herself as the large wooden doors slowly creaked open.

.

.

.

_**-To be continued-**_

_***Kyodai- Kyoto University**_

_**Todai- University of Tokyo**_

_**Punk'd- American show wherein they prank celebrities. Just google it, 'kay? :)**_

_**Kinoko no Yama- famous Japanese snack. Mushroom shaped biscuit topped with chocolate. Yum!**_

_**Nyangolownians and Nyaboron- Haha! Guess what anime/LN. :3**_

_**.**_

**Thank you for the continued support!**

**I hope to hear more from you all.**

**.**

**Stay awesome guys and gals!**

**.**

'**Til next update! :)**


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